


All Together (Together)

by KatMotif



Category: RWBY
Genre: Abusive Parents, Amputee Pyrrha Nikos, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Background Bee's Schnees, Background Yang Xiao Long/Blake Belladonna/Weiss Schnee, Childhood Trauma, Coming Out, Electromagnetism, Established Arkos, Established Renora, Eventual Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers, Greek Lotus, He's their lil bro/son, Jaune's Parents argued a lot but they're okay, Kissing, Martial Arcs, Moving In Together, Multi, New House New Relationship, Nora's Arc, Oscar is visiting home but he'll move in later, Parent Headcanons, Poly JNPR - Freeform, Polyamorous Jaune Arc/Lie Ren/Pyrrha Nikos/Nora Valkyrie, Polyamory, Post Canon Divergent AU where Pyrrha's alive and Salem is gone forever?, Pyrrha Nikos Lives, Pyrrha's Dad is a Fucking Jerk, RWBY appears too, Service Dogs, Slow Burn, Team JNPR Basically Adopts Oscar Okay, Team as Family, Team as a Poly Relationship, Two Couples becoming One Poly Relationship, bc he is their son, chosen family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-08-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:55:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 28,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25428784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KatMotif/pseuds/KatMotif
Summary: After everything, JNPR move into a house together as a team and two established couples. But things are a bit more complicated when there's feelings under the surface that are suddenly dug up when frictions arise between them individually. What happens when everyone's in love with each other?(Written with help from the JNPR Fan Club Discord)
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Pyrrha Nikos & Oscar Pine & Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Jaune Arc/Lie Ren/Pyrrha Nikos/Nora Valkyrie
Comments: 25
Kudos: 70
Collections: JNPR Berries Polyverse





	1. Prologue (Moving In)

It had been a year since the fall of Salem, and the world was already a much calmer place. The Grimm still existed, of course, so huntsmen and huntresses were still very much needed in Remnant. And despite everything, the Beacon-born team of JNPR had managed to stay together. The two partnered halves of the team were even more together, as established couples; the long time friendship between Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie had accumulated in the two of them falling in love. Jaune Arc had lost Pyrrha Nikos in the fall of Beacon, so it seemed, but as she turned up alive under circumstances even unknown to Ozpin, and with some time and healing the two found their love was stronger than even death.

The team itself was closely bonded, much like their friends and fellow Beacon survivors, team RWBY. Yet there was something about the air of their collective relationship that was a bit different, not so much closer than RWBY’s, but a different kind of closeness, something bubbling underneath the surface that wasn’t quite ready to come out. Both teams were quite affectionate with each other, yet the touches between JNPR members lingered a bit more, eye contact lasting a bit longer. The only exception being Yang and Blake, as those two were an established couple in their own right.

Yet there were only two established couples between JNPR; Ren and Nora, and Jaune and Pyrrha. The two couples made one very tight knit team of huntsmen and even after saving the world, they didn’t want to be apart from each other. After spending some time in Argus with Jaune’s sister and Pyrrha’s mother, the four decide to use the collective money they’d saved up and buy a house. As the Grimm were far less prominent than before, it was far easier for cities to expand as well as new towns to establish themselves.

Many different options were considered; they’d considered living in Patch, not too far from RWBY was currently staying, but Pyrrha didn’t want to be too far from her mother at the same time. Kuroyuri was considered briefly, but the painful memories for Nora and Ren alike were still a bit too raw to want to revisit again. Eventually, they happened upon a small town that was building not too far from Argus, a newer settlement that was a bit more rural, more spaced out between homes. They found a cabin with four bedrooms, which was enough for each couple, a room for Oscar (who was more or less also a member of their team, and would be moving in with them eventually after staying on his old farm for a bit), and a guest room (for Ruby or any of their other friends of course). It was decently sized, with a fairly big backyard with a pool and a patio and room for a garden and a pond.

It was a bit more than they’d originally budgeted but Pyrrha still had plenty of money from her past championships to compensate for it (upon her mother’s insistence, of course, she hated having so much money just to sit on). They had to renovate the kitchen (Ren’s insistence there, he was very particular about the kind of kitchen he wanted as he would be the one doing the majority of the cooking) and furnish the attic (that was Jaune’s idea, as an extra bedroom) but once they’d moved in, things went rather smoothly.  _ At least, at first they did. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've written get together slow burns before but this is the first poly one I've ever done, and I'm kind of nervous about it. I'm really hoping I do this justice. I hope people enjoy this.


	2. The First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first night in the JNPR Household, and there's feelings bubbling about underneath the surface. Some already know what they feel, others aren't so sure.

Their first night in the house, their first real night, no more unpacking or renovating, was spent gathered in the dining room around the table, the four of them eating together. They’d done this many times before, the four of them happily having conversation about whatever came to mind. The stew Ren had made was perfect for the late winter, a light layer of snow visible on the ground just outside the screen door. It was a peaceful night and the four members of JNPR were at peace. After they all had finished eating, the four lingered at the table.

“That was really good, Ren!” Nora chirped, leaning close to her boyfriend and kissing him softly on the cheek, causing a slight shade of pink to raise. 

“As always, of course.” Pyrrha politely added, smiling at him. 

“It was just a simple stew, no need to fluster me.” Ren said with a smile in return. Jaune stood, slowly bringing the dishes to the sink, as it was his turn to do dishes, but paused to pat Ren on the shoulder.

“And it was really good stew. Don’t sell yourself short. We all have a habit of doing that.” Jaune murmured softly. The pink on Ren’s cheeks raised a bit more when Jaune’s warm hand lingered a bit, before sliding off. Nora arched her brow a bit, smirking a bit at her boyfriend before gently poking his other arm.

“You okay?” she asked him softly, brushing his hair behind his ear.

“I’m fine, Nora.” he replied, grabbing her wrist and bringing her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. She giggled in return.

Pyrrha, on the other side of the table, felt a strange twinge in her stomach watching the two of them. It wasn’t the first time, even back in Beacon seeing the two of them affectionate with each other, just each other, and as mild as it had been in relative back them, she felt more or less the same weird way in her stomach as when she’d seen Jaune hit on Weiss. She’d always dismissed it as her wishing she could be as close to Jaune back then. But now that the two of them were established couples in their own right, why was she still feeling this way?

It wasn’t that Jaune wasn’t as affectionate, oh no, he was a massive mush at times. There were times where you couldn’t pry her and Jaune apart. Ren and Nora were more or less the same way, though Ren was more conservative when they were out in public or around people he wasn’t as comfortable being vulnerable around. She didn’t want to break up with Jaune, nor did she want to break them apart to have one to herself, so what did she want?

Pyrrha definitely didn’t want to be a cheater; her father had cheated on her mother several times before she finally filed for divorce. She remembered how ugly their fights could be, the things he’d thrown at her, all the times she had to stand between them so her father couldn’t harm her mother. She would never forget the night he finally left, when Pyrrha herself threatened her father.

_“If you ever hurt mom again, I’ll_ **_tear you apart_ ** _. You trained me yourself, you know exactly what I’m capable of.”_

Pyrrha normally never allowed herself to lose her temper that badly, especially since it was _his_ temper she’d seemed to inherit. A part of her worried that living together with her team like this could potentially go wrong. They got along perfectly except when they didn’t, of course, and while she’d never been in an especially bad fight with anyone on her team, she was aware that there had been intense arguments between them before. 

“Pyrrha?” Nora’s voice softly snapped her from her thoughts, looking at her with concern in her soft turquoise eyes. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I just...got lost in thought.” Pyrrha murmured softly, sitting up straight, not sure when she’d even started slouching in her seat.

“It happens. Do you want some dessert?” Jaune offered, holding up a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Pyrrha smiled and nodded.

“ _Please._ ” she insisted. Hopefully the dessert would take her mind off of whatever was making her feel unsure.

* * *

Later on, Jaune and Pyrrha were dancing in the living room, light music playing in the background. Nora and Ren watched them from the couch, Ren dozing off a bit as he would at times, his head in Nora’s lap, her stroking his hair gently. She peered down at him with a soft look on her face; Ren was Nora’s everything. Since that day in Kuroyuri, years ago, they had been inseparable. They were together almost all the time, within reason and with a few exceptions when they had or needed to be. They’d come out of everything even stronger than ever.

Yet, she looked up at Jaune dancing with Pyrrha, at the two laughing, and her heart made her confused. She had a big heart, plenty big, enough to fit Remnant in twice, as far as she was concerned. She definitely loved them too, Jaune and Pyrrha, with her whole heart. She knew Ren loved them too; they’d discussed it on quiet nights while they’d been staying with Terra and Saphron. 

They both had feelings for their teammates as well as each other, romantic love type feelings. It was hard not to, Pyrrha being so beautiful and kind, Jaune being strong but also so sweet. Yet they knew how complicated it could make things; unrequited love was painful, they both knew as they had once feared their feelings for each other would not have been reciprocated. Plus would either of them want to be together as a relationship of four. Polyamory wasn’t unheard of in Remnant, especially not in Mistral. But there had to be unanimous agreement there, and neither her or Ren were sure they’d get it from Pyrrha or Jaune.

Seeing how Jaune and Pyrrha gripped each other so strongly when reunited, Nora worried they’d think she was trying to come between them. She worried they’d think she didn’t love Ren, that she’d be hurting him in the process (and of course she’d fear that despite their conversations she would somehow still be hurting him). Even watching them dance now, that pang of wanting something more arose. But Nora fought it down. She looked down at Ren, to find his eyes open, looking up at her tenderly.

“Nora.” His voice was barely above a whisper (she loved how he sounded when whispering, his deep voice somehow got even deeper and it reverberated in her heart). He reached up and brushed her cheek with his fingers.

“I know.” she whispered back, leaning down and kissing his forehead. She moved so Ren could slowly sit up next to her. He was definitely tired; they’d just finished unpacking that afternoon and he’d went right into cooking them all dinner, he was tired.

“We’re going to go to bed, is that okay?” Nora asked the other couple, who paused in their dance to look at their teammates.

“Of course. We’re kind of getting tired too.” Jaune admitted, before Pyrrha suddenly dipped him.

“ _You’re_ tired? I could dance all night.” Pyrrha joked, though her face showed she too was quite exhausted from the day they’d had.

“Well, we’re going to bed.” Ren said, before standing slowly. Nora stood with him and took his hand. The four bid each other a good night before they walked up the stairs to their bedroom. Both were quick to change into their pajamas; Nora opted for just a loose t-shirt with Pumpkin Pete on it that she had borrowed from Jaune and never given back, and Ren wore some old pajama bottoms with little frogs on them and a old, worn magenta t-shirt that he would have thrown out by now if it hadn’t been a gift from Pyrrha. 

Nora had managed to sneak a peek at Ren before he’d gotten the shirt on. He had gotten a rather nasty scar across his chest in the final battle against Salem, but it’d been healing rather nicely, and that was the only reason she peeked of course. Not his gorgeous body with firm abs and tattoos he’d gotten along the way, no not at all.

“I know you peeked.” Ren joked, before picking her up bridal style and carrying her over to their bed whilst she giggled.

“Can you prove it, though?” Nora giggled, Ren’s hand running along her stomach playfully before she batted it away. “You _know_ that tickles, you jerk!”

Before long they settled, the two lay together, Ren spooning Nora and holding her loosely under the weighted comforter. The two didn’t fall asleep right away. Nora sighed, and she felt Ren’s hand brush her overgrown hair away from her neck and kiss it softly.

“It’s still on your mind, isn’t it?” he breathed, and she shivered.

“I can’t help it. I can’t just...pretend I don’t love them.” she whispered back, taking one of his hands in both of hers.

“I know it’s hard. Believe me, I love them too. But…” Ren trailed off, sighing into the back of Nora’s head.

“But there’s no guarantee they’ll love us too. I get that. But what if we told them?” Nora asked, turning onto her back so she could face Ren. Both their eyes had misted a bit.

“I’m not ready to be rejected by our best friends yet. We _just_ moved in together.” Ren said, half-jokingly, brushing Nora’s cheek with his free hand. 

“But we’ll never know if they feel the same way unless we talk to them.” Nora insisted softly, not trying to argue but being firm enough to make her point. Ren leaned closer and kissed her other cheek, holding her closer. 

“When we’re both ready, we will.” Ren promised softly. Nora, deciding that was good enough for now, kissed him on the lips.

“Good night, Renny. I love you.” she whispered.

“I love you too.” he whispered in return, kissing her back once more before finally letting sleep claim them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I didn't focus on Jaune this chapter, but the events of the next chapter involve him, so he's definitely going to get more attention. Don't worry, I'm going to do my best to get everyone's perspective as equally as possible.


	3. Too Far

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mission ends with a minor problem, but when minor problems get buried and left to fester, they can get worse.

JNPR had a good week in their new home before they took a mission back in Argus. Some Grimm apparently showed up in the outskirts, and though the Grimm were no longer being controlled, they could still be as aggressive towards human settlements if they happened upon them. Settlements didn’t fall as often as they once had in the days of Salem, and Argus wouldn’t be felled by so few, so it seemed like it would be a quick easy job for the experienced team of huntsmen. That’s what it should have been.

Nora clutched her side, bloodied and bruised, inside the shuttle. Her injuries weren’t life threatening by any means, but there’d been a lot of blood, and it was bad enough that Jaune couldn’t help but run to her side to heal the wound by boosting her aura. He focused on the injury, jaw clenched, silent. Nora murmured something to him, but he didn’t hear her, tightly focused on just getting her out of trouble. Ren, deeply concerned, sat on the other side of her, holding her free hand, and Pyrrha sat on Jaune’s other side, her hand on his back.

_You idiot! You damned idiot! You should know by now not to let them get hurt! Any of them! After everything you can’t lose them! Any of them! Never again!_ Jaune’s mind screamed a million things at him, blaming himself for Nora’s injury. He knew it was because she’d been reckless, as she had a habit of doing when things didn’t seem too perilous, at every now and then it’d result in her getting hurt. 

But Jaune could be just as bad as Ren when it came to talking about his feelings, especially worries and concerns. He wouldn’t argue about it, not now, choosing to focus on healing Nora, keeping her safe, holding her close...okay maybe not that last one. That was Ren’s territory and that wasn’t to be encroached on.

He’d seen what cheating had nearly done to other relationships. His own parents had a near fall out over his father seeing an old girlfriend; nothing had happened but his mother had already been feeling insecure and the resulting argument was so bad his mother kicked him out of their bed for a week. It had been awkward, those mornings seeing his father sleeping on the couch still before breakfast. He’d always been the one forced to wake him up, as his mother wouldn’t so much as speak to him for that week.

Not that the couch they had was uncomfortable, but what was uncomfortable were the thoughts he’d been having lately. In Pyrrha’s absence, he’d begun to develop feelings for both Ren and Nora, of the more romantic than he’d ever intended variety. But he’d never wanted to come in between them, knowing how close they’d always been. He didn’t want to ruin what they had. And after what had happened to Pyrrha, he was worried that he was just bad luck, that if he did get too close to either of them, they would be lost too somehow.

Then, he got Pyrrha back. And she still felt the same way about him she always had. It seemed to just work itself out, or so he’d thought. Then they’d began to live together again. And he noticed how comfortable Ren was around them because he smiled around them more than he ever remembered, and gods, he had such a beautiful smile. He also noticed Nora, how her strong body was also gorgeous, how her laugh was so damn contagious he couldn’t help but laugh with her every time. How cute she looked when she was food sleepy after one particularly big dinner.

How nice her hair smelled right now, and he realized he hadn’t intended on leaning so close to her. Nora wiggled a bit further, her cheeks flushed and her wound healed completely. She looked up at him with those beautiful turquoise eyes meeting his blue, smiling widely.

“Thanks. But you’re getting a bit cuddly there, captain.” Nora said teasingly. Jaune felt his face heat a bit when Ren and Pyrrha both laughed.

“Right. Sorry.” Jaune stammered. Pyrrha’s grip on his shoulder tightened a little.

“It’s alright. You were worried about her and relieved when she was healed. You’re allowed.” She spoke tonelessly, oddly, her expression distant. Ren pulled Nora onto his lap and embraced her, kissing her bare shoulder tentatively.

“Please. Be more careful. For my sake.” Ren whispered to Nora. She sighed and turned her head enough to kiss his temple.

“I’m sorry.” Nora whispered back. And, not for the first time, Jaune felt a strange pang in his chest.

* * *

Days passed, and Jaune still hadn’t talked about what happened after the mission, not even to Pyrrha when they’d been alone. She tried, of course, but he feigned sleep until she fell asleep herself and would stay up for hours just thinking about it, the fear, those other feelings he didn’t want to acknowledge. 

What if he had acted upon those feelings before Pyrrha came back? Would it hurt her? He certainly loved her, of course he did, turning over and looking at her sleeping form. Her scarlet red hair had been cropped far shorter than it had been at Beacon, yet it suited her just as much. She was so beautiful, and a part of him still resented his younger self for not realizing it until that night at the dance, resented himself for not making a move properly before he’d lost her. He still believed, deep down, that if he’d told her how he’d felt before the fall, she may have stayed.

_Then again, would Ruby have unlocked her silver eyes without us having to lose Pyrrha? As horrible as it had been, we wouldn’t be here without it having happened, right?_ Jaune thought, though he still resented the idea of Pyrrha’s death being necessary, especially now that she was here, living, breathing, still so beautiful.

But Ren was also beautiful, in his own way. His long black hair, a bit scraggy, usually tidy somehow, that one pink streak that seemed to come out of nowhere, how it brought out those pink eyes. How his lean body was so strong and how he took care of it so well. How he cared for the three of them, in his own subtle ways, cooking and reminding them to sleep or drink water or straighten their posture. 

And, gods, Nora was beautiful too, in her own way as well. The way she could take on an entire swarm of Grimm by herself nearly effortlessly, yet be tuckered out after a three course meal. How she could simultaneously be a sunny day but also a thunderstorm, within minutes of each other. How she always looked up at him with those turquoise eyes with such trust, such, dare he even think, love. How her shorter, orange-red hair was always seeming to stand on end, even when tied back.

Gods, help him. He loved them all. He was in love with all three of them, and Jaune was beginning to believe it was going to be the death of him, or the team itself. And he wasn’t sure which scared him more.

* * *

The tension since the mission finally came to a head the next night. They had just finished cleaning up after dinner, Jaune breaking down the cardboard boxes their pizzas had come in (they needed at least two, since Nora and him could eat nearly whole pies by themselves if hungry enough). The conversation had sudden shifted to their mission from earlier that week, as Jaune had been dreading. It had deprived him of enough sleep to make him irritable as it were. Nora said something, then, that made something inside him go off.

“If it weren’t for Jaune, I’d be in bed right now.” she said, lighthearted in her tone, grinning at him from across the circular dinner table. What she intended as a compliment, however, seemed to be something else to Jaune, because the oddly quiet blonde suddenly turned to Nora with a glare.

“If you hadn’t been so damn _reckless_ , you wouldn’t have needed to be in bed!” Jaune snapped, loudly, causing all three of them to flinch, most visibly Pyrrha. Nora’s eyes went wide and she panted a bit, but remained, at least at first, composed.

“I was complimenting you, Jaune. Are you okay?” Nora asked, her voice a little wobbly.

“I’d be a lot better off if you stop scaring the shit out of me every time we go on a mission and you get yourself hurt because you don’t take it seriously!” Jaune yelled. Ren reached over and touched Jaune’s arm.

“Calm down. We were just having a conversation about what happened. Nora knows she made a mistake. You know how she gets during a fight well enough by now to know that this just happens sometimes.” the shorter man eased. Jaune jerked away.

“What if it had been worse?!” Jaune snapped at him. “What if she was really hurt, Ren?! Do you really want to go through what I went through?!” On his other side, he heard Pyrrha get up and storm out of the room. Nora stood up suddenly, looking in Pyrrha’s direction before looking back at Jaune, her own face now sharing the same glare Jaune’s had. Ren sighed, holding his head in his hand.

“Why did you even bring _that_ up?! You know she’s **sensitive** about what happened to her! And to compare that to what happened the other day?!” Nora shrieked, clenching her fists on either side of her. Ren touched her arm, gently rubbing, and she glanced at him, her expression softening.

“Because I’m scared of it happening again! What, am I not allowed to be scared of losing you guys now?!” Jaune cried.

“You can be scared without being a **fucking jerk** about it, Jaune!” Nora bellowed.

“Guys, please.” Ren tried to reason, trying to stand between them, as much as he could with the table in the way.

“You guys are like family to me. No, you _are_ family to me. I get that you’re worried about me but you should know damn well I can take care of myself in a fight! I made a mistake, it happens!” Nora spoke, seeming to ease in her tone a bit, as if the situation had been diffused. It hadn’t.

“What the hell do you know about family?!” Jaune cried out, throwing his hands in the air. It was a statement he’d said without thinking, out of his mouth before his brain could process the words, and immediately he wished he could take them back. The look on both Ren and Nora’s faces, drained of color, a mix of outrage and confusion and anger. 

“I know what family is, Jaune.” Nora growled wetly. “I thought we were family. Maybe I’m still too naive for my own fucking good.” With that, she bolted away, up the stairs. The two male members of JNPR were left in the dining room alone, Ren glaring at Jaune, both anger and sadness on his face.

“You know how much you guys mean to us, right?” Ren muttered. Jaune, holding his face in his hands, nodded, letting out a shaky sigh.

“I’m an idiot. I didn’t mean that, she knows I didn’t mean that--” Jaune’s words were interrupted when Ren lifted his hands, gesturing for him to stop.

“ _I’m_ going to make sure Pyrrha is alright. You go...find Nora. Apologize. I don’t care how you make it up to her, make this _right_ , just do it. Before you speak to either of the rest of us. Especially Pyrrha.” Ren spat bitterly before he too stormed out of the room, in the direction Pyrrha had walked away in. Jaune stood alone in the dining room for a moment, before he sat down in his chair for a moment, holding his head in his hands and sobbing into them.

_I’ve just ruined everything, haven’t I?_

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting too long so the making up will come next chapter. It begins.


	4. Making Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune knows he has to apologize to Nora for his outburst...he's just gotta find her first.

Seeing Jaune lose his temper like that was new for Pyrrha. She couldn’t recall him ever raising his voice like that at Beacon, not from what she could remember. But she knew they had been through so much without her there, and had been told of how grieving her had changed him. She had been under the impression that he had recovered and had been back to his old self, but she also supposed everyone had relapses.

Then there was her father, who seemed to be in a constant state of relapsing back into toxic, harmful behavior. He was a harsh, strict father _and_ coach to her, taking over the latter responsibility when none of the ones her parents had hired fit his seemingly extravagant standards. He was a notable huntsman himself before he’d retired to coach her full-time, and he wanted her to be just as good as he had been.

But then, she became better than he had ever been, and her father, Ares Nikos, became a jealous, spiteful man. Every time she broke one of his records, instead of being filled with pride, he scowled at her, nitpicked her form if it had been off just a little, or even belittled her appearance.

_“You are becoming a bit too...muscular, Pyrrha.”_ He told her once. _“Maybe we should cut back a little on your training hours? We still want you to be able to get married one day to a nice man.”_

What only made things worse was the way he began to treat her mother, Cassandra. Cheating on her and not even bothering to make an effort to hide it. Spending money on extravagant things instead of putting it aside for Pyrrha’s future. His stopping working to focus more on Pyrrha, and all the arguments they had over that, how harsh he was being on her during training, how hard he was pushing her.

_“If you keep pushing her like this she’s going to hurt herself!”_

_“If she’s as good as she thinks she is, she’ll be smart enough to not get hurt.”_

_“Do you even care about your own daughter?!”_ Her mother cried, and her father did not give her an answer. She filed for divorce weeks later, taking Pyrrha and moving them to Argus. She started Sanctum the next fall. And a part of the reason why she picked Beacon was because her father had gone to Haven, and she wanted nothing to do with him or his legacy.

She sat on the screened porch of her new home, far from her father, far from her old life. If she really wanted to, she could retire from being a huntress, and live her life out any other way, but she didn’t want to. She loved her teammates, her new family, more than anything. She was worried that her absence, her _death_ , had caused them to be far more hurt than she had ever intended when she made that choice that night, the choice to fight Cinder Fall.

“Are you alright, Pyrrha?” Ren asked, coming outside, checking on her. It was very sweet of him, and normally she would have gladly given an answer, but her voice was stuck in her throat. He sighed when she didn’t respond, walking over and placing the blanket around her shoulders, and stroking her shortened hair a bit.

“I’m here if you want to talk.” He offered, then walked back into the house. Pyrrha looked out at the front yard and sighed.

_I’m sorry._

* * *

Once Jaune had calmed down, he went upstairs and washed his face. He went into his room and grabbed a pair of pajama pants to change into later, because undoubtedly Pyrrha was going to kick him out of their room tonight, and he absolutely didn’t blame her. After leaving them in the guest bedroom, he gathered himself and knew now, he had to find Nora and apologize for his outburst. The apology itself was one thing, because as forgiving as he knew Nora could be, he’d never gone this far with the things he’d said before. The really hard part was going to be finding Nora so that he could apologize to her in the first place. 

The smallest member of JNPR, Nora had a habit of hiding herself in strange places when she was really, _really_ upset about something. When they’d learned of what happened to Pyrrha, for instance, they looked for her for hours in Vale before finding her inside a closet inside the hotel room they were given. Thankfully it wouldn’t be as hard as her running upstairs had narrowed down his options. He didn’t find her in either of their bedrooms or guest room, in either the bathroom inside his and Pyrrha’s room, or the bathroom outside her and Ren’s.

He checked the towel closet. That left the attic, or the extra bedroom they’d built in there. There was a spiral staircase leading up to it at the end of the hallway, and Jaune carefully walked up it (he disliked it but he got outvoted into it, so he was careful on it because the first time he’d gone down it, he’d fallen and hurt his bum). The light had been turned on at the top, which was a telltale sign she was there. Nora hated the dark, and no place in the house got darker than up there.

Looking under the bed, in the small bathroom, inside the empty closet, all that was left was a chest, a blanket holding it a crack open and sniffling noises coming out of it. Knowing he’d found her, he softly walked over to it and sat beside it, leaning his back to it while pulling his knees to his chest.

“Hey.” Jaune said, his voice gentle and a bit wobbly.

“Oh. You.” Nora grumbled from within the wooden chest. Her voice croaked wetly, an obvious sign she’d been crying hard. His chest ached, knowing he was the cause of it, with his foolish words and lack of thought. He took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing._

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Nora. I didn’t mean any of that awful crap I said.” Jaune murmured, tone soft but loud enough so that she could hear.

“Sure.” She said, sounding like she was holding back a sob.

“You know you guys are like family to me. You know after everything we’ve all been through together how much all three of you mean to me.” Jaune reasoned, his voice cracking a bit in his throat. A moment of silence, a sharp inhale from the chest followed by some soft whimpering.

“I-I know.” Nora sobbed.

“And you know...I only got upset because I’m scared of losing any of you, right?” Jaune croaked, not being able to fight his own tears.

“Uh huh.” Nora whimpered. The chest’s top opened a bit more, one of Nora’s hands slipping out and offering itself to Jaune. He took her hand in his, holding it softly, stroking her knuckles with his thumb.

“I’m sorry I’m such a damned idiot. You guys put up with so much from me. I don’t get why you guys put up with my bullshit half the time.” Jaune said, lightly chuckling softly, halfheartedly smiling. Then, the chest flew open completely and Nora jumped out, throwing herself onto him and wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. He returned the hug and sobbed into her hair. The two sat like that together for a few minutes, just crying and holding onto each other.

“Yes, you’re a dummy.” Nora started, pulling away from Jaune a bit to make eye contact with him, wiping her teary eyes on her sweater’s sleeve. “But you’re our dummy. And...I love you.” she added, before leaning in and briefly, ever so quickly, kissing his lips. It was a peck, maybe a little longer than one, Jaune wasn’t sure. He was pretty sure his heart skipped a beat when she’d done it though.

_This is Nora we’re talking about. She wouldn’t...she’s with Ren, I’m with Pyrrha. There isn’t something between us, right? Right?_

“I love you too.” Jaune spoke softly anyway, before pulling Nora back into the hug.

_We’re teammates, this is completely platonic. There’s no way my feelings for Nora go beyond that._

Jaune kept telling himself this internally, despite knowing full well he was lying to himself.

* * *

Later that night, he saw Nora and Ren off before they went to bed, as always. Ren still seemed to be tense around him, but they were all exhausted. Jaune figured they’d talk tomorrow. He’d talk to Pyrrha too, as that obviously wasn’t happening tonight; as he suspected would happen, she’d locked him out of their room for the night. He’d have to apologize to her, too, and maybe they could talk about her reaction if she’d let him.

Jaune sighed. He was going to spend a least a week making it up to all of them. For now, he changed and lay on the guest bed and let sleep carry him away. Even with his internal conflict about his teammates, he was too exhausted not to sleep.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One link established, one conflict resolved, and the beginning of another planted. Oh boy this angst stuff is tough to write.
> 
> Also, yeah, Papa Nikos is a fucking jerk in my headcanon, because I can't help but see that narrative a bit in Pyrrha (bc I relate to her as someone who was pushed really hard to be good at what they were doing by someone who wasn't doing it for my own best interests but theirs. Also despite the name Ares is a bit loosely based off of Achilles' father Peleus? At least I hope that's obvious and/or I'm doing that justice?)
> 
> anywho thanks for reading!


	5. Sowing Seeds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha's being distant after the events of the night before.

Pyrrha found she rather didn’t like waking up alone. Even though she still felt anxious about what she’d witnessed last night, she missed Jaune’s presence in their bed. She’d grown accustomed to feeling him at her side, either curled around her back or laying underneath her, her head on his chest. There were times where his heart beating alone could lull Pyrrha to sleep. She felt like she hadn’t slept at all, even though she had. 

She slowly got up out of the bed and walked out of her room, towards the guest room. Much to her relief, Jaune hadn’t locked the door. She felt awful having locked him out, but she needed space last night. A part of her wanted to crawl into the smaller, firmer guest bed with Jaune, sprawled out on his back and snoring. Instead, just seeing he’d slept fine was enough to calm her nerves, at least a little.

_ Pyrrha walked downstairs to find once again, her father had fallen asleep on the couch. There was a smell coming off him she couldn’t describe and he was still wearing the suit he’d been wearing yesterday at her competition. There were red smudges on the collar now. She trembled and ran back up the stairs. _

Pyrrha walked downstairs to find the kitchen unoccupied. She could see Ren and Nora in the backyard, Ren meditating while Nora skipped around the thawing grass. Spring was on the horizon and she hoped the warmer weather would ease the tensions rising in the house. She trembled again, and walked straight to the coffee machine.

Now, Pyrrha Nikos preferred tea over coffee. Coffee didn’t really taste good to her, not unless you added an unhealthy amount of sugar to it, and a bit of milk for good measure. It was bitter, dark, and her preference was tea, which was much more diverse and calming to her. Yet that’s all she wanted right now. Coffee and maybe an english muffin.

_ “Could you be quiet, child?! Don’t you see I’m sleeping? Damned girl, think because you’re a champion you can run around the house at early hours.” Ares shouted up the stairs, making her flinch, shiver, tears prickling in the thirteen year old’s eyes. _

_ I was never good enough for you. We were never good enough for you.  _ Pyrrha’s mind reeled as the coffee finished brewing. She hated how her hand trembled as she poured it into the biggest mug that was hers. Three spoonfuls of sugar and creamer and she sat at the kitchen island and sipped.

_ You haven’t been in my life for years, why are you haunting me now?! Let me move on with my life!!! _

-

“Uh oh.” Nora said softly, peering inside the kitchen.

“What is it?” Ren asked, remaining in his state of meditation while listening to his girlfriend as her scampering about the backyard patio ceased suddenly.

“Pyrrha.”

“Is she okay?”

“She’s drinking  **coffee** . Doesn’t she usually drink tea?” Nora asked, biting her lip slightly. Ren broke out of his upright meditative position and slowly stood up. He sighed deeply.

“Crap.” He muttered. Nora walked over to him and looked up at him, wrapping her arms around herself.

“Should we...talk to her?” she asks, her tone soft with concern.

“If she’ll talk to us. Pyrrha...tends to shut herself off when she’s upset.” Ren explained gently, wrapping his arms around Nora’s shoulders and kissing her forehead.

“Like you?” Nora added. Ren shook his head.

“No. She doesn’t have a semblance like mine as a reason for it. She’s...she’s got something going on in her head. Since last night. Since…”

“Since my argument with Jaune. But we made up, so everything...everything should be fine, right?” Nora stammered, her arms now wrapping around Ren’s waist, her hands grabbing at his shirt.

“I hope they will be, at least.” Ren spoke, distantly, looking inside as he noticed Pyrrha look out at them.

-

When Jaune finally came down the stairs, he found Pyrrha at the kitchen island, wrapped in her favorite robe, drinking a mug...of coffee. He tensed up.

_ Crap crap crap, if she’s drinking coffee, either she’s still really pissed at me for last night, or she’s got something on her mind because of it and she’s not gonna talk about it. Crap. I fucked up so bad. _

Then a realization hit Jaune. A conversation they had during their late night training sessions at Beacon. A conversation about their parents. The things she’d told him...about her father. The drinking, the cheating, the violent outbursts...the reasons why Pyrrha apologized so much and why she worked herself so hard.

**_DAMN IT._ ** _ If I reminded her of that  _ **_bastard_ ** _...oh Gods I don’t think I’d blame her if she broke up with me. Crap. Fucking Crap! _

Jaune proceeded with caution, until he reached the kitchen. She turned her head, looking far more tired than he had ever seen her. Her expression was muted, almost afraid. He slowly reached for her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

“H-hey. Look, about last night.” Jaune started, but Pyrrha shook her head.

“We’re not talking about that right now. I’m not...I’ve got a lot of my mind right now. I just need some space for a day or two, okay?” Pyrrha’s voice trembled and croaked and it hurt to hear her like that. He pulled his hand away.

“Okay.” Was all Jaune could say. Sighing in defeat, he walked over to the cabinet to where they had the cereal. By the time he’d gotten his bowl filled with milk and Pumpkin Pete cereal, he found Pyrrha had left the kitchen, uncharacteristically leaving her mug at the kitchen counter.

-

A few hours went by and Pyrrha left the house without a word to go on her daily run. Ren, Nora and Jaune were left alone in the house. Jaune and Ren were a little awkward around each other but they had at least both agreed that Pyrrha was a cause of concern. Ren still didn’t want to really talk much to Jaune, and Jaune, for now, accepted that. 

Jaune decided that he needed to get out of the house anyway, and picked the keys of their shared car from the key rack by the door. Nora noticed the jingling sound, turned to Ren for a moment, who nodded at her, and then skipped over to Jaune.

“Going somewhere?” she asked, her cheerful demeanor mostly intact despite everything from yesterday. Jaune felt his nerves fizzle a bit, remembering what had happened last night, but kept calm.

“Y-yeah, I’m just going to head out to the store to pick up a few things.” he stammered a little.

“Can I come?” She asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked up at him. “Ren’s going to take a nap soon anyway and I feel kind of stuck in the house. Plus I wanna see the town a bit now that there’s no snow on the ground.”

“Okay, sure. You okay with that, Ren?” Jaune spoke, looking up at Ren. The other man seemed oddly focused on him for a moment, but nodded.

“I trust you two to come back in one piece. And not with an appalling amount of unhealthy junk food, this time?” Ren said with a smirk. Nora playfully huffed, turning to Ren and placing her hands on her hips.

“Just for that I’m going to buy the sugariest, most unhealthiest thing I can find in the store and eat it right in front of you.” She joked, the two of them snickering a bit. Jaune smiled at the antics of his friends.

“And I’m going to buy the syrup she’s going to pour all over it.” He added. Ren playfully glared at him.

“Do not enable our-- _ my _ girlfriend.” Ren stammered, covering his mouth as he flushed over his slip up. Jaune turned towards the door, shaking his head.

_ He didn’t mean that, he didn’t mean that, relax. _

“Okay, let’s go!” Nora giggled, patting Jaune on the back. With one more look back to Ren with a wink, she pushed Jaune gently and the two walked out the front door. Once alone, Ren sighed deeply.

_ I may have just screwed up. _

-

Pyrrha came back to the house not too long after Jaune and Nora left, breathing heavily as she ran up the driveway. Before heading back into the house, she checked their mailbox, right outside the stairs leading up to the front porch. There were a few envelopes, nothing too special, save a letter from Oscar, which made Pyrrha smile a little--a letter from their honorary fifth teammate and soon to be housemate would lighten their collective mood. There was one more envelope behind his, and the name on it made her blood run cold.

It was a letter from her father.


	6. I'm Sorry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The letter from her father triggers a response from Pyrrha that Ren could have never anticipated.

Pyrrha stormed into the living room, the sound of the door being flung open causing Ren to jolt up from his position laying on the long part of the burgundy sectional in their living room. Normally, being awoken from a nap would make Ren downright grouchy, but judging by the lack of color in Pyrrha’s face and the way she threw the day’s mail on the living room table before sitting across from Ren and burying her face in her trembling hands he knew it wasn’t worth getting upset over. Ren caught his breath and slowly sat up, looking over at Pyrrha.

“What’s the matter? Did something happen during your run?” He calmly asked her. She shook her head in her hands and let out a shuddering sigh.

“No. Nothing happened. The mail came…” the rest of what Pyrrha said was hard to make out, her voice petering out into a mumble halfway through. Ren looked towards the letters haphazardly thrown across the glass top table. One envelope was a light grayish red, addressed to her, the handwriting meticulous. On the top hand corner, however, was a name Ren had never seen before.

“...Ares Nikos? A relative of yours?” he asked softly. Pyrrha’s head shot up, her brows furrowed hard and a deep scowl across her lips. Ren couldn’t recall ever seeing her this angry before.

“My father. My fucking asshole  _ abusive _ father, whom I have no idea how he got this address or why he’s even fucking  _ contacting me at all! _ ” Pyrrha shouted, her hands now grabbing at her short hair and gently pulling. Ren felt his breath start to hitch; Pyrrha rarely ever swore, almost never.

“Pyrrha, please...calm down.” Ren pleaded softly. Pyrrha’s hands slammed down on the couch cushion she sat on and her breathing got heavier, her face starting to redden.

“No! You don’t know! What he did to me!” She cried furiously, her voice trembling. “The things he did to my mother! What he put us through for  _ years,  _ Ren! He treated us like we were his  **property** and then tried to take  _ everything _ from us when we left him!”

“Pyrrha, breathe.” Ren’s tone was starting to lose it’s own calm. Seeing her like this was one thing, on top of all the other tensions that had been occurring in the house as of late. Even for Ren, it was starting to take its toll.

“Who the hell gave him this address?!” Pyrrha shouted hysterically, standing back up suddenly. “How the hell does he know?! He hasn’t  _ contacted _ me since my mother’s divorce from him became final, and from what I hear, he didn’t even seem to care that I  **fucking died!** He didn’t even go to my funeral!  **_What does he want from me now?!_ ** ” 

“Pyrrha,” Ren started, his own temper starting to flare, frustrated with not being listened to. “What has your father done to warrant such rage from you?!”

“You want to see what he did to me?!” Pyrrha screamed, before picking up an empty mug that had been sitting on the table. She threw it, giving a bit of an angle to it so that Ren wasn’t hit, the mug narrowly missing his head before it smashed into the wall and broke into several pieces. Ren froze in place, his pink eyes shooting wide as he looked back at where the mug struck the wall, his own hands shaking.

“ _ What is wrong with... _ you…” Ren shot out before his temper died immediately, turning back to Pyrrha to find her not on the couch, but on the floor, her knees pulled closely, her arms wrapped around herself and resting on them, her face buried, her sobs racking her body completely. “Pyrrha…”

“I-I’m sorry! I’m...I’m so sorry Ren! Oh gods...I almost  _ hurt you _ !” she sobbed, hiccuping and gasping for air between her own sobs. Ren walked around the table and to her, sitting down beside her and gently pulling her close, holding her in his arms, resting his head against hers.

“It’s okay. I know...I know you didn’t mean it. I’m okay. Shaken, but okay. I promise you, it’s going to be alright.” Ren spoke softly, in reassurance to them both, rubbing his friend’s back in small circles. Pyrrha then threw her arms around Ren, pressing her body into his, burying her face in his neck and crying.

“Oh Gods, I’m so sorry...I’m so sorry…” her tone was starting to weaken as she gradually grew calmer, her sobs slowly easing into whimpers as Ren held her in his arms. He stroked her hair and softly hushed her until she was calm. Her tears ebbed away and though her breathing was still shaky and hitched, she pulled her head off of Ren and pressed his forehead against hers. 

“Thank you.” she said softly. Ren nodded, stroking her hair. There were a few short moments of silence between the two of them before Ren finally broke it.

“Pyrrha...you’ve always been a gentle soul.” Ren whispered, pulling his forehead from Pyrrha’s. “Whatever it is your father did to you...we won’t let it happen again.  _ I _ won’t let it happen again. You are safe here. You’re safe now.” Before she could object, he kissed her on her cheek, a soft touch that made something inside her feel warm.

“R-Ren…” she stammered, before Ren placed a finger over her lips.

“I know you would never hurt any of us. Despite what your father’s done, you still came out of it a kind, loving person. We’ve all always loved that about you.” Ren added, then leaning up and kissing her forehead. Pyrrha couldn’t help but run her hands on each side of his neck, softly, shivering.

“I love you,” she said, her tone watery and without thought, before she leaned in and kissed Ren softly on the lips. Ren seemed a bit startled but it was reciprocated. It was over far too soon, but a twinge of fear broke them apart. Their eyes met before they separated, looking away from each other suddenly.

“I’m sorry.” Pyrrha apologized one more time. Then, Ren placed his hand over hers.

“I love you too.” Ren whispered. “I love  _ all of you _ so much. I just...don’t want this to be lost because of things that can’t hurt us anymore.” With that, he bit his lip and stood, helping her back onto her feet. He released her hand and walked towards where Pyrrha threw the mug.

“I’ll clean this up, you go upstairs and get washed up. I’d rather not stress out Nora and Jaune with the knowledge we’d had an argument like that.” Ren spoke before walking towards where the broom and dustpan were in the kitchen. Pyrrha simply nodded then slowly made her way up the stairs.

Making her way into her room, she closed the door softly behind her and walked over to her bed. Her hands now trembled for another reason, her father being the furthest thing from her mind.

_ Gods, what am I thinking? What have I done? _


	7. Sprouting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune and Nora have a talk after their trip to the grocery store; Pyrrha and Jaune's reconciliation.

There were hardly any other customers in the store besides Jaune and Nora, save maybe a few friendly elderly folk who greeted them. They were only grabbing a few essential things they’d been running low on, like paper towels and coffee filters. Nora managed to negotiate a few snacks into the cart, and something was making it harder than usual for Jaune to say not to her. 

“ _But you’re our dummy. And...I love you.”_

The words she’d said after his apology, before the tiny kiss that followed it, was still sticking in Jaune’s mind. The sweet way she’d said it was the part that took him aback; normally she reserved that tone of voice for when she was (or thought she was) alone with Ren. It was a sticky sweet, like the syrup she liked putting on Ren’s pancakes (or drink right out of the jar if you left her unsupervised long enough in the kitchen). The only other time she’d ever spoken so tenderly to him was back at Argus.

“ _We’re teammates._ **_Family._ ** _”_

_“We don’t want to lose you, too.” Ren had followed it with._ Those words still had left their mark on Jaune’s mind, and his heart. That night is when he believed he began to fall in love with Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie.

_We couldn’t be more than that...could we?_

Jaune pondered while they checked out, the cashier waving to get his attention (a cute faunus girl with a squirrel tail) as Nora bagged their items neatly. As he paid for their groceries and they left the store, he gave the cashier a shy smile and waved. He heard her giggle as he walked away. As he loaded the groceries in the trunk, Nora waited till he was finished with the cart, and once finished, she pushed the cart back to the front of the store. Jaune climbed into the driver’s seat and turned the car on, thankful the heating system still worked fairly well for an older car he’d gotten second hand. 

_What am I thinking? Why am I still thinking of Nora and Ren as if I could be with them? I don’t want to hurt Pyrrha...I don’t want to break up with her, either. Can’t I just be with all three of them? Or is that too much? Am I being selfish...loving all three of them?_

“Jauney.” Nora’s voice whispered into his ear, causing Jaune to jump. He didn’t even hear Nora get into the car but there she was in the passenger’s seat, hoodie pulled over her head and giggling at his startling. Jaune sighed.

“Put your seatbelt on.” he scoffed.

“I would honestly be fine if we got into an accident, y’know. Especially since I’m with you.” She said, half-playful and half-flirting and Jaune’s face flushed.

“Put your seatbelt on!” Jaune insisted. Nora giggled but did what was told, buckling the seatbelt with a click. Jaune did the same with his before he backed out of the parking space and drove back towards home. It was a fifteen minute drive back to their home, and usually they’d listen to some music. Neither Nora or Jaune made a move to turn the music on. Their first traffic stop had a red light, so they sat for a moment, awkward silence between them.

“Did...I cross a line?” Nora asked, her voice soft. “When...when I kissed you?”

“No.” Jaune said, not even hesitating a little, despite the knot in his throat. “Of course you didn’t.”

“I...I told Ren. He and I...we’ve been...talking.” Nora said, nervously, and out of the corner of his eye he could tell she was rubbing her hands together.

“...about?” Jaune asked cautiously.

“Us. All four of us.” Nora sighed. She leaned back into her seat, still rubbing her hands together, as if they were cold, but Jaune knew she didn’t mind the cold in the first place, let alone the car had the heat blasting.

“You’re not...breaking up with him, are you?” Jaune piped.

“Oh, oh no! Never! He’s my everything, you know that. But…” Nora stammered.

“But?” Jaune asked, as the stop light turned green and he proceeded to start driving again. Nora took another moment to answer, so Jaune nudged her gently with his elbow.

“...But we...the four of us have always been...close. Like closer than most huntsmen teams. Heck, closer than RWBY even.” Nora explained with a slight waiver in her voice.

“Maybe not closer, but a different type of...closeness. You know?” Jaune added. Nora nodded.

“Right. When I said you’re _our_ dummy, I meant that. Me and Ren...we think of you and Pyrrha...the same way as we think of each other. And I feel like I shouldn’t be talking about this without him and Pyrrha here.”

“Maybe we _should_ have this conversation with them, but…” Jaune interrupted softly. “But I’m glad we’re talking about it.”

“Me too.” Nora said. He felt her take one of his hands off the steering wheel and hold it in her own. Jaune couldn’t help but squeeze it softly, reassuringly, before taking his hand back.

“So when you said...I love you. You meant that...romantically?” Jaune asked in a whisper.

“Yeah. I do.” Nora murmured softly. Before anything else could be said, Jaune reached their house and pulled into their driveway. The two of them lingered in the car for a brief moment. Jaune turned to Nora, licking his lips slightly. Nora bit hers and lowered her eyes, her face reddening slightly.

“Can I kiss you?” Jaune whispered. Nora looked up at him and took a breath in before nodding. He slowly leaned in, pressing his lips against hers, a bit more firmly than their kiss in the attic, but enough to make his point known. When the kiss broke, they both sighed.

“I want this, too. I just want all four of us to be on board for it. Okay?” Jaune said.

“Okay.” Nora said, smiling at Jaune. She gave him one more peck on the lips before she got out of the car, and made her way up to the door. She peered her head in and then came back down. Ren walked out of the house and waved at him before he followed her down the porch steps. Jaune got out of the car and met them at the bottom of the steps.

“Did Pyrrha get back from her run?” Jaune asked. Ren nodded.

“We had a...talk about things. She’s just taking a shower upstairs and taking a nap. She’ll be down by dinner time.” The shorter man said. Jaune arched a brow and nodded.

“Okay. Well, we’ve got some groceries to carry inside. Let’s get to it, team!” Jaune said, speaking as if they were on a mission and was motivating them, causing the other two to giggle.

“Sillyhead.” Nora teased.

* * *

He left putting the groceries away to Ren and Nora, deciding to go upstairs. This time, his and Pyrrha’s bedroom was left unlocked. Jaune walked into the room, finding Pyrrha sitting at her vanity. She’d changed into a brown sweater dress and black tights and she was playing with her hair in the mirror when she slowly turned her head. 

Pyrrha looked like she’d been crying. There was an envelope face down in front of her on the vanity, unopened. Jaune walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, kissing her forehead. She shivered in his arms but leaned into him.

“Gods...I’m sorry. I’m sorry for how I was acting before, I--” Pyrrha started before Jaune tilted her head up and kissed her lips. She sighed into it, running her fingers through his hair. He pulled away and kissed her forehead again.

“No...I’m sorry you had to see me lose my temper like that.” Jaune eased, stroking her hair. “I’ll try to make sure it doesn’t happen again. The last thing I want to do is remind you of that _bastard_ and everything he’s done to you.”

“Gods, Jaune…” Pyrrha said, pushing off of Jaune a bit to stand in his arms, which shifted around her waist as she cupped his face and kissed his lips once more. “I love you so much. You...all three of you have been so good to me...the last thing I want is for the three of you to have to experience what my father put me and my mother through.”

“He can’t hurt you, now.” Jaune said, holding Pyrrha tightly. “He can never hurt you again.”

“I know. Not when I have you. All of you.” She breathed, burying her face in the crook of Jaune’s neck.


	8. Something to Look Forward To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner and a letter from Oscar, things seem to be going well for JNPR now. The night's still young.

It was almost like the events of the night before hadn’t happened; everyone sat together at their round dinner table with bowls of noodles. Nobody seemed to be tense around anyone, though some glances would linger from time to time. There was something in the air a bit different tonight, different than the other nights the four of them had eaten dinner together, but the tension wasn’t one of conflict anymore.

Ren, for one, couldn’t keep his eyes off of Jaune. Now that he’d finished apologizing to the girls, and they’d all made up, he could relax a bit. Ren had been startled but Jaune’s temper wasn’t new to him; and he knew it fizzled out as quickly as it would flare, as rare as it happened. Ren had the same habit with his own temper, though that was why he had begun meditating more often, trying to find his balance, let things go and not let his semblance take control of him.

Ren’s breath quietly caught when Jaune looked up at him and smiled at him. Gods, he loved his smile. Loved the way the taller, blonde man looked at him. If he were braver, he’d compliment him on it, but his eyes darted down to his bowl as his face heated up. He heard Nora giggle a little, felt her brush her foot against his leg beneath the table. Looking up at her, she darted her eyes back and forth between him and Jaune before smiling at him.

“Go ahead.” she mouthed, winking at her boyfriend. “Say something.” He lingered on her for a moment, at her bare shoulders as she’d changed to a short pink dress that hung off them. Nora was usually more in favor of clothes that were more cute than sensuous, so when she did change it up it was hard not to be breathtaken. He looked back at Jaune, who also seemed to be staring at Nora, and cleared his throat.

“Are you...enjoying...the meal?” Ren stammered out, a bit nervously. Flirtation was Nora’s strong suit, not his, which was why he’d often left it to her. He was willing to try, and he was used to flirting with her. Flirting with Jaune (and Pyrrha) was a new territory for him, one that he was willing to venture into but nervous to start.

“Of course, you’re only the best cook I know, Ren.” Jaune said, an air of playfulness in his tone. Pyrrha giggled and patted Jaune’s shoulder.

“It’s very good, Ren. Thank you.” She added, brushing her bangs from her eyes with the hand she wasn’t using to hold her chopsticks. She looked elegant too, in her sweater dress, and it made Ren feel a bit underdressed, as he only wore jeans and a loose fitting hoodie (it was Jaune’s but he’d borrowed it long ago and Jaune never asked for it back; it was basically his now anyway).

Jaune was dressed more or less the same, anyway, though Jaune’s hooded sweatshirt hung more loosely around his collar than Ren’s did. The girls looked more like they were going out to dinner than eating at home, and Ren had a feeling he knew why, but he didn’t want to assume anything. He didn’t want to think his moment with Pyrrha that afternoon meant anything, on the chance that it didn’t.

Then again, Jaune seemed to be comfortable with the prospects. And Pyrrha  _ had  _ said those three words, words that he hadn’t thought he’d hear from her in that context, in that context from anyone but Nora. Who was still brushing her foot on his leg under the table. He shot a playful glare at his girlfriend, who motioned him to continue.

“Flirt with him.” Nora whispered to him. Pyrrha giggled again, and he glanced back at her, meeting her emerald gaze. Her head tilted at him.

“You okay?” Pyrrha asked, she too was a bit playful in tone. Ren nodded.

“I’m...I’m fine.” Ren excused, smiling nervously.

* * *

“We got a letter from Oscar?” Nora piped once they’d finished their meal, nearly jumping out of her seat in excitement. Pyrrha nodded, sheepishly smiling at her teammate and friend. In all the earlier excitement about the  _ other piece _ of mail she’d gotten today, she’d nearly forgotten about the letter from their youngest friend.

“We did.” Ren piped up, standing up from the table to retrieve it from the living room table, where it had still been sitting. He made a point to place an easing hand on Pyrrha’s shoulder before he walked away from the table for a moment to get it. She offered him a thankful smile.

Jaune noticed the interaction and tilted his head slightly. He didn’t think that meant anything, did it? Just two friends exchanging a smile, right? Yet he felt his insides warm instead of cool at the sight, because this wasn’t just some other guy that Pyrrha had smiled at; it was Ren. It was starting to dawn on Jaune that maybe the prospect of the four of them being  _ together  _ may not be as unlikely or improbable as he’d once believed.

_ It was a Friday night at Beacon Academy and they’d all huddled together on the floor, surrounded by blankets and pillows and a few stuffed animals, some bowls of popcorn and chips, cans of soda, and a video game they took turns playing. An adventure game, everyone kept dying because the difficulty in this game was ridiculous, laughing when Nora shrieked in frustration as the player character was once again thrown off the ledge by the dragon boss they’d kept losing to. _

_ They were huddled close together, not so much sitting on top of each other but close enough that they could have easily been if they’d wanted to. Back then, none of them were together and were still too shy to make the first moves. Yet they all still had each other, and there were still those lingering touches and glances, blushes when eye contact lasted a bit too long between them. The hugs Nora would give when feeling particularly clingy were as far as some of those nights gone. Once, they’d woken up the next morning, on top of one another, a bit achy from having slept on the floor. _

_ Even back then, Jaune just felt like that was where he should be; not at Beacon, but with Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. It felt right with the three of them at his side. It felt safe with them, like he could truly be himself around them and aside from teasing him now and then, they had faith in him and his dreams. And in turn, he had faith in them too.  _

Fate had tested the four of them, and somehow, they’d all come out stronger for it. Jaune regretted nothing now, not even the things he regretted before, because he had all of them. Now they all had each other, this home they were building together, and were even closer than they’d all ever been...and it seems, they could only get closer.

As Ren walked back to the table with the letter and the letter opener Pyrrha’s mom had gotten them, Jaune watched him intently. Ren was always on the leaner end of the spectrum of body types, though Jaune knew well that it was built and wasn’t by any means fragile. He’d seen Ren take Grimm on by himself that most wouldn’t dare and come out unscathed, barely breaking a sweat. Ren was strong, and he was just as beautiful as he was strong. 

Before meeting Ren, he wouldn’t have even thought men could be beautiful, or even attractive to him, but the other male member of JNPR took him by surprise from the start. The formation had awakened more than just fighting potential and leadership qualities in Jaune; it had opened his eyes to romantic possibilities he’d never imagined he would ever have had.

“You’re staring at me quite a bit tonight, Jaune.” Ren pointed out, having apparently regained his confidence a bit. Jaune cleared his throat.

“Right. I’m just eager...to see what Oscar wrote us. That’s all.” Jaune stammered. Both the girls giggled. Ren sat back into his seat and wiggled his eyebrows at Jaune, then the two of them laughed as well.

“Come on, silly boys. Ren, open that letter and read it to us! I wanna hear what our little farmer boy’s been doing!” Nora squeaked, bouncing in her seat a bit.

“Alright, alright. Settle down, babe.” Ren said, placing the letter opener down momentarily to run the back of his hand along Nora’s cheek, causing her to wiggle and sit back in her seat, giggling a bit more. Picking the letter opener back up, he opened the white envelope seamlessly and slowly pulled out the thin, green paper. It was some sort of stationary, clearly borrowed from his aunt, judging by the tiny chickens along the edges.

“Oh my gosh we’re keeping this. Look at the paper! It’s so cute!” Nora cooed, peering over Ren’s shoulder and leaning onto it. Ren chuckled a bit before reading aloud:

> _ Hey Guys, _
> 
> _ It’s me, Oscar. I know, I could easily just call you, or at least that’s what I would do if the reception on my aunt’s farm wasn’t such crap. Don’t get me wrong, I missed being here, and my aunt, who of course wanted to know everything (well, everything I  _ **_could_ ** _ tell her, anyway). But I miss you guys. I miss you and I miss RWBY, and Qrow, and everyone. I’m already starting to pack the stuff I’m bringing from here; mostly old books and a few sentimental things. None of my old clothes fit anymore, but that’s to be expected when you left home at 14 to come home a few years (and growth spurts) later. _
> 
> _ It’s...quieter than I’m used to now. The only real sounds are all of the farm animals, especially the chickens. My aunt has a few of my cousins working the farm so at least she’s not doing all the work on her own, and turned me down when I offered to help (“it’s not your job anymore” she tells me). She doesn’t mind me living with you guys (“of course you’re gonna bond with the people you saved the world with, you little silly” she says) so long as we (yes, we) all come by and visit once in a while.  _
> 
> _ Don’t worry too much about me, I won’t be away for too long. Hopefully once I get to Argus I can reach you guys by phone. I know it won’t be terribly long before I see you guys again but I honestly just really miss everyone. Don’t forget to let Ruby and the others know when I’m coming; I’m not expecting to see everyone when I get there but I’d like for us to get together whenever we can. _
> 
> _ Don’t go on too many missions without me, either.  _
> 
> _ Your Fifth Teammate, _
> 
> _ Oscar _
> 
> _ P.S. - Can you thank Ruby for sending me with some cookies? Those things were a lifesaver on the way here, seriously. Her cookies are the best. _

Pyrrha was the first to speak after Ren finished reading the letter, sniffling a bit. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater dress.

“Goodness, I miss him so much.” she spoke, laughing wetly. Jaune rubbed her back a bit. They hadn’t had as much to get to know each other as the rest, but Oscar and Pyrrha had bonded quickly over being the victims of fate beyond their control. 

“He’ll be coming soon, just another week. Then we’ll be one big happy family.” Jaune comforted her softly. Nora nodded, reaching across the table and taking Pyrrha’s hands.

“Yeah. All of us. Together.” she added, with a smile. Pyrrha’s face flushed a bit. Then, a thought made her smirk a bit.

“Nora, would you like to dance?” she asked. Nora blinked a bit, then beamed.

“Would I?!”


	9. Dancing and Kissing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls have a dance, the boys have a chat, on the edge of something new for them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (AKA This is where we start getting a bit more gay in these parts. Don't worry this isn't just the girls dating the guys and the guys dating the girls. We ship Valkos and Martial Arcs in this house too!)

A few hours later, soft music was playing in the living room again, and Nora was dancing with Pyrrha. The boys were cleaning up in the kitchen quietly, but the girls swayed around in each other’s arms, slow dancing with each other, their airy giggles filling the air alongside the soft instrumentals playing from the stereo. 

“You look beautiful tonight.” Pyrrha murmured softly, one hand on Nora’s back while holding her other hand. Nora’s free hand rested on her shoulder as the two swayed their hips in time with each other. Nora’s face flushed a bit from the compliment, her turquoise eyes meeting Pyrrha’s emerald ones.

“So do you, gorgeous.” Nora replied, a bit bolder in her flirtation than Pyrrha. Pyrrha giggled, looking to the side a bit as her own face flushed. The two’s movements were in time, each step thoughtful of where the other’s feet were, each hip sway followed closely. They were in sync, much like the night of the dance at Beacon, but this was far more intimate than that.

They didn’t have the entire student body staring at them from around the room this time, not as Pyrrha pulled Nora just a little bit closer. Nora bit her lip, watching Pyrrha’s expression soften. They’d already complimented each other but Nora could honestly compliment the taller redhead until she was blue in the face if she really wanted to.

* * *

Ren watched them from over the kitchen island, the two women he loved sharing their dance, looking at each other with such admiration. His face felt warm, and he couldn’t help the smile on his face if he tried. A part of him had worried that he and Nora were making too sudden moves, but since they’d all been together again, they’d agreed this was what they had wanted. They, or at least he had realized his feelings for them both in Argus; wanting to be there for Jaune after the loss of Pyrrha, whom they all realized had been far more dear to them than they’d known.

It had been too soon, though, back then; they didn’t want to cause Jaune any turmoil, not wanting him to think he’d moved on too quickly. Also, Ren wasn’t entirely sure Jaune would be interested in them both. Tonight was the first time his doubts about that were totally out of his mind, by the way Jaune had been looking at him. Tonight was the first night he didn’t doubt that they could all be together anymore.

Jaune was standing next to him, watching the girls dance as well. Ren turned to him, looking at how the dimmed lights graced Jaune’s face, the smile gleaming. Ren smiled, nudging him with his elbow.

“I’m going to get some fresh air. Do you wish to join me?” He asked the taller man, voice hushed as not to interrupt the girls.

“Uh. Okay, sure.” Jaune stammered a bit, shrugging. “Lead the way.” 

* * *

As the boys stepped outside, Ren and Nora shared a brief glance. Nora grinned, nodding to her boyfriend as he led their team leader outside on the backyard patio, the screen door carefully closing behind them. It wasn’t like they’d planned tonight out, or anything that had been happening, but the two of them knew they wanted to be with their teammates as well as each other. They’d meant to make a move sooner, even with just Jaune, but it seemed to never be the right time before. Now was a better time than ever.

Nora looked back up at Pyrrha, who’d also looked towards the boys as they stepped outside. Pyrrha’s brow furrowed and she frowned a bit, and Nora’s expression changed to match. They stopped dancing for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” she asked her taller friend softly, who’s attention snapped back to her.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Nothing...I just...well…” Pyrrha trailed off, looking away from Nora. Nora reached up and cupped Pyrrha’s cheek in her hand.

“You can tell me anything.” Nora soothed, brushing Pyrrha’s cheek with her thumb. Pyrrha leaned into the touch a bit.

“I know.” Pyrrha’s eyes fluttered closed. “I know, it’s just...I’m not entirely sure what’s going on, and I’m probably overthinking things.”

“Go on.” Nora egged on gently, and Pyrrha took both of Nora’s hands in her own. 

“I...got a letter from my father.” Pyrrha explained. “It’s upstairs, I haven’t opened it, I don’t know if I will...but I flipped out and Ren tried to calm me down. I threw something at him. I missed--on purpose, I didn’t want to hurt him, and I broke down, and...Ren comforted me. And I ended up kissing him.”

Nora blinked, her heart skipping a beat. There was maybe a second where she felt a bit of hurt, but then her love for Pyrrha, along with Ren and Jaune, overrode it. This was what she wanted, wanted when she kissed Jaune, wanted when her and Ren would talk about their feelings for the other two. She smiled at Pyrrha.

“Pyrrha, babe.” Nora started, taking back one of her own hands and pulling Pyrrha’s head down a bit, leaning up and kissing Pyrrha softly on her lips. “First of all, you worry too much. Second of all, you’re burning that fucking letter.”

Pyrrha blinked; Nora probably knew the least about her father, but she knew the smaller redhead was the most emotionally intelligent of the four of them. Sometimes Nora could be outright empathic with how easily she understood. Pyrrha couldn’t help the tears spilling from her eyes as she pulled Nora into an embrace, holding the other woman tightly against her.

“Gods, I love you.” she whispered into Nora’s hair. Nora returned the embrace, rubbing Pyrrha’s back and reaching up and stroking her hair. Pyrrha lifted Nora’s head again and kissed her deeply, running both her hands through Nora’s hair. She could tell by the weight Nora’s arms placed across her shoulders that the smaller huntress was holding herself up using her, but Pyrrha certainly didn’t mind.

When they broke apart for air, the two looked at each other, smiles across their faces. Nora wiped the tear streaks from Pyrrha’s eyes.

“I’m so relieved. I thought we’d done something terrible…” Pyrrha whispered. Nora shook her head, kissing Pyrrha’s cheek.

“Don’t be silly. We really should talk about it...all four of us. About whatever this is.” Nora stated.

“Want to keep dancing till the boys come back inside?” Pyrrha suggested. Nora nodded, and took the lead.

* * *

It was still cold enough for Ren to see his breath in front of himself, but the starts of spring were starting to be felt. The wooden patio was no longer covered in snow or ice, just the pattering of his and Jaune’s footsteps. The yard seemed bare now, but he had plans to plant gardens once the ground was ready for such things. Him and Oscar had already picked out what they would plant, flowers and fruits and vegetables, not enough to make the backyard a full fledged farm, but enough to save a bit of money and just make the barebones yard a bit more worthwhile aside from the pool.

That was for another time’s pondering, as Ren’s mind was far more occupied with more pressing matters, his stomach fluttering like it had as a teenager, when he first realized his feelings for Nora were much more romantic than he’d realized before. He knew he loved Jaune, but the flutters were from the possibility the other man could feel the same. It was almost hard for him to contain, regardless of his semblance. 

“So, what made you want to come outside anyway? It’s freezing.” Jaune asked, wrapping his arms around himself and shivering a bit. Ren chuckled; he’d forgotten how low Jaune’s tolerance of the cold was. He planned on making it worth his trouble, though.

“Just wanting to be alone with you, that’s all.” Ren mused, sauntering a bit closer to Jaune. He brushed his hair out of his eyes when a breeze blew past them. Jaune shivered a bit but his blue eyes were on Ren’s. His brow furrowed slightly and his mouth quirked in a slight smirk.

“I suppose I haven’t really had the chance to talk to you about last night, huh?” Jaune muttered, his eyes suddenly darting away. Ren didn’t like that, the streak of guilt painted Jaune’s features so suddenly and it made Ren look down to the ground.

“I am not upset. With you. I know how you get sometimes, believe me. I know you didn’t mean to lose your temper. I know you care about all of us.” Ren spoke softly, reaching up and placing his hand on Jaune’s shoulder, like all the times Jaune had done with him. Though, he wasn’t lending Jaune his semblance, as Jaune would to amplify his. Jaune looked back at him, sighing before he placed both of his hands on Ren’s shoulders.

“It’s a lot more than just...caring, Ren. It’s...so much more than that.” Jaune murmured softly. Ren’s face flushed again, and he smiled.

“What is it then, Jaune?” Ren asked, a hint of teasing in his voice. His hand trailed behind Jaune’s neck while his other hand rested, bawled into a fist on Jaune’s chest, hoping the other man wouldn’t notice their trembling. 

“What do you want it to be...Lie?” Jaune purred at him.

Something about hearing Jaune say his given name, a name he usually only allowed Nora to call him in more intimate situations, and in the tone Jaune had _said it_ , caused Ren to shiver almost violently. He pulled the other man closer and kissed him passionately, running one hand in his blonde hair and the other clenching his sweater. Jaune reciprocated, his arms running around Ren’s waist and pulling him closer.

The kiss was over sooner than Ren would’ve liked but Jaune only held him closer, pressing their cheeks together. Ren closed his eyes and let himself be held, burying his face in the crook of Jaune’s neck and sighing, smiling. Relief washed over him, along with the love he felt flowing through him. Jaune chuckled a bit.

“Your nose is...it’s cold.” Jaune breathed. Ren chuckled along with him.

“Don’t ruin the mood.” He replied, half jokingly, not wanting to let go of Jaune, of this moment, of the bliss he was feeling. Jaune loosened his hold on Ren, however, and Ren pulled himself off of his chest reluctantly.

“I think the four of us all need to talk about whatever this all is.” Jaune said, an air of seriousness in his voice. Ren nodded.

“Whatever this is indeed.”


	10. Together (Together)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The big talk finally happens; what's to become of JNPR? (Honestly it should be obvious.)

The first thing the girls realized when the screen door opened and the boys came back inside was that Jaune’s hand was in Ren’s, their fingers intertwined. The girls were still in each other’s arms, dancing paused with the sound of the door opening. They exchanged a look at each other, then looked back at the boys, both smiling. The boys both blushed.

“Okay.” Jaune started, leading Ren over to the girls after the other man closed and locked the screen door behind him. “Team meeting time.”

“Oh Gods don’t make this sound like a strategy meeting.” Ren joked, the other three giggling. 

“Well, it kind of is one.” Jaune explained, trying to be serious with his free hand on his hip. Pyrrha let go of Nora and walked over to the stereo to turn it off. Nora rubbed her hands together and looked to the fireplace in the living room, watching the flames for a moment and finding herself relating to it, somehow.

“Nora? You gonna come sit on the couch with the rest of us?” Jaune called over to her, already sitting on their sectional, Ren on one side of him and Pyrrha on the other. She nodded, eagerly skipping over and plopping down next to Ren, taking his arm in one hand and lacing her fingers through his free hand’s fingers. He looked at her, smiling softly.

“It’s okay.” he mouthed to her. She smiled back at him and leaned her head on his shoulder, looking over to Jaune. Their leader still held Ren’s other hand and was taking Pyrrha’s hand in the other, her holding it with both of hers, smiling but clearly nervous. There was an uneasy silence that fell between the four of them, for a moment, no one knowing where to start. Ren, Nora and Pyrrha all looked to Jaune. 

Their leader took a deep breath, knowing what he was about to say was going to change their entire relationship. He knew that there was no going back once the words were said, and while he had no reason to doubt, that eternally insecure part of his mind wanted him to doubt, wanted him to think that maybe he was wrong. That they weren’t already all in love with each other.

“The four of us...we’ve always had something deeper with each other than most other teams have.” Jaune started, speaking carefully. “The bond that we have between the four of us is something that’s been tested in all sorts of ways, we’ve been put through hell and back, and yet...here we all are. Together.”

“And there’s nowhere else any of us would rather be.” Pyrrha added, rubbing Jaune’s arm with one of her hands. Jaune nodded, smiling at his girlfriend; the one he’d lost and through some sort of miracle gotten back. Her eyes showed the wear her body did not, the trouble she had gone through on her own before coming back to them. He squeezed her hand in his, reassuring her.

“I couldn’t have said it any better myself!” Nora cheered, an affirmative hum from Ren following as Jaune turned to them. He’d watched the two of them go through so much together and yet come out the other side, themselves and their bond, formed long before he’d even met the two of them, stronger than ever. He knew they were inseparable already from each other, and now, he felt that same bond forming between them and himself and Pyrrha too; unless it was already there and he was just now seeing it.

He recalled something about a red string of fate that would tie destined lovers together, and wondered how that worked when there were more than two lovers. There were definitely links between each of them that had formed over the years. Now all there was left was to establish what those links were; what the four of them were, to speak what had been unspoken.

“We’re more than a team.” Jaune continued, trying to hide the shakiness in his voice. “There’s  _ love _ here, between the four of us. All of us. We love each other, right?”

“Yes.” Nora said first, absolutely no hesitation. She sat up straight, her turquoise eyes darting to Ren’s pink, Jaune’s blue, Pyrrha’s green, confidence in her form. She was always the most emotionally honest of the four of them, and Jaune appreciated that.

“Yes.” Ren said next, a hint of uncertainty in his voice but judging by the way he squeezed Jaune’s hand in his, and the intensity in which his pink eyes looked into his blue, he could tell the other man wanted whatever this was.

“More than anything.” Pyrrha spoke last, putting no effort to hiding her wavering voice, tears spilling freely from her eyes. 

Nora stood up, patting Ren’s shoulder briefly before walking around the coffee table and sitting on Pyrrha’s other side, wrapping her arms around the other girl’s waist and leaning her head on her shoulder, tears falling from her eyes too. Jaune and Ren both scooted closer, arms wrapping all around each other. They held each other for moments, some tears being shed, but no longer out of fear or sadness.

“I love all of you.” Jaune finally outright said, voice breaking and tears spilling from his eyes. “I love all three of you so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with you guys.”

“Together together?” Nora suggested, wetly but lightheartedly, causing the other three to chuckle softly.

“Together together.” Jaune agreed. Nora squealed, leaning around Pyrrha for a moment, reaching up to Jaune’s face and kissing him squarely on the lips. Jaune’s heart raced, both at Nora’s boldness and because he could kiss her freely now. As soon as his kiss with Nora ended, he found his head turned towards Pyrrha by her hand and she kissed him too. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Nora lean across the table to kiss Ren.

Then, as his kiss with Pyrrha ended, she turned to Nora and kissed her too, and Jaune turned to find Ren was already leaning in to kiss him, too. After that kiss ended, Pyrrha leaned over him to kiss Ren as well. And it kept going, kisses being exchanged and caresses and soft, sweet words being whispered to each other. 

Some time passed and the four moved upstairs, as it was getting late. They couldn’t bear to break apart so they all opted to sleep in Jaune and Pyrrha’s bed. No one bothered changing out of what they were wearing, just climbing into the queen sized bed and huddling together, limbs tangling into each other and just keeping close to one another, the four lovers not wanting to be apart, not when this was so new. Jaune had Pyrrha on one side of him and Ren and Nora on the other, Nora sandwiched between the two men. 

“I think we need a bigger bed.” Ren commented, not uncomfortable but the four of them made for a tighter than anticipated fit. The other three laughed, Jaune leaning up to kiss Ren’s forehead.

“We’ll look into that tomorrow. And figure out what to do with the other room. That was yours.” Jaune explained, leaning his head back on the pillow.

“Ooh! Game room!” Nora suggested, somehow finding a little energy to bounce a little. Ren placed his hand on her hip and whispered something to her, calming her down. After a few more kisses were exchanged between the four, sleep began to claim team JNPR.

“Love you guys.” Nora was the last to speak, sleep creeping softly into her speech as she closed her eyes.


	11. First Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first morning the four lovers spend together in a relationship.

Nora woke up first the next morning, squished between Jaune and Pyrrha with Ren behind Jaune. Once awake enough to appreciate her surroundings, her heart swelled tenfold. She had three lovers now, and they all loved each other; it was everything she’d ever wanted. It was exactly what she’d wanted when JNPR became a team, when they were all brought back together again. It was amazing, and she was more in love than she ever thought she could possibly be with all three of them.

But there were two pressing issues in the moment; this tight dress she’d been wearing turned out not to be the best sleepwear being one thing. The other, slightly more pressing thing: she really,  _ really _ wanted some ice cream right now. So she carefully climbed over her lovers, gently not to wake them as she managed her way out of the bed. As soon as her feet touched the hardwood floors, she felt a hand tenderly touch her back.

“Nora?” Pyrrha murmured, still half asleep. “Are you okay?”

“Mmm-hmm.” Nora whispered. “Gonna change and get some ice cream. You wanna come with me?” 

“Sure.” Pyrrha replied softly, giggling a bit. As Nora tiptoed out of the bedroom to the other room to change, Pyrrha looked over to her boys, both still fast asleep. She leaned over, kissing Jaune’s temple, then a little further over to kiss Ren’s forehead before she climbed off the bed. She quickly changed herself, opting to wear some soft burgundy flannel pajamas instead of the sweater dress and leggings she’d fallen asleep in.

As Pyrrha got into the hallway, Nora already waited in a pastel pink pajama dress, looking more like an overgrown t-shirt but still very cute, as Nora was. The two of them walked hand in hand down the stairs, sneaking into the kitchen, giggling to each other. The sun must have just started to peer over the horizon, and Ren would likely be annoyed with them for eating ice cream well before breakfast, but they both knew that he wouldn’t stay mad about it.

Pyrrha had a few scoops of pistachio and Nora opted for strawberry, both adding whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Nora huffed because she’d forgotten to get more sprinkles when she and Jaune had made their trip to the store the day before, but she was more happy to just be in the moment with Pyrrha. Her girlfriend, stealing a moment with her before the boys woke up. 

Sitting on the couch with their bowls, the two huddled together, watching the sunrise and eating ice cream and just enjoying each other’s company. Once they’d both finished, they’d set the bowls down on the coffee table and leaned back together, Pyrrha’s arm around Nora’s shoulders as she other girl’s arm and leg rested across her chest and legs. Nora’s cold lips touched her cheek and Pyrrha giggled before she leaned in and kissed Nora on the lips.

The two didn’t intend on falling asleep on the couch, laying in each other’s arms. They were just far too content to care.

-

A few hours later, Ren woke up before Jaune did. It was just them, but Ren had a feeling about it; he knew Nora occasionally woke up early to steal snacks, and likely, Pyrrha had tagged along. He couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the thought of the two women sneaking downstairs together. His girlfriends; and that stuck for a moment, stuck to him like Jaune was currently doing to his sides, arms and legs wrapping around him like an octopus in the sea.

“Don’t get up yet…” Jaune sleepily mumbled into his boyfriend’s shoulder. “You’re really warm.” 

Ren smiled and wrapped his arm around Jaune’s waist and running his fingers through his short, blonde hair. Ren had two girlfriends and a boyfriend and honestly, he couldn’t thank the Gods enough for letting him have this happiness he’d never thought he’d have. He kissed Jaune’s forehead, causing his lover to hum happily.

Lovers. The word vibrated through Ren’s entire being, made him feel complete in ways he hadn’t thought possible. Not that he hadn’t been happy with just Nora; Nora was his other half. But the two of them were halves of a whole, and with Pyrrha and Jaune that whole was complete now. They were all complete together, not just as a team, but four people tangled in love with each other.  _ Lovers. _

“We have to get up at some point.” Ren teased, gently scratching the back of Jaune’s neck. The other man whined a bit, opening his blue eyes and looking up at him.

“You’re right. Can’t enjoy spending time with my boyfriend if I’m asleep through all of it, right?” Jaune replied, finally raising his head, leaning over and kissing Ren tenderly on his lips. Ren melted into him, leaning into him, humming softly. Jaune broke the kiss sooner than Ren would have liked, but he turned and looked over to the bed.

“Where’d the girls go?” Jaune murmured, brow arched.

“I believe they may have gotten up without us.” Ren said softly.

“Wow, rude. Let’s go find them downstairs.” Jaune grumbled, reluctantly letting go of Ren and climbing out of bed. Ren followed, stretching as he stood slowly.

-

As Ren suspected, coming downstairs after quickly changing clothes and tying his hair up into a bun, Nora and Pyrrha were asleep on the couch; Pyrrha on her back and Nora draped on top of her. He smiled, walking over to the couch, reaching over and touching Nora’s head softly.

“Waffles?” Nora said with a snort as she raised her head suddenly, which also caused Pyrrha to open her eyes. They both looked up at Ren.

“Morning, loves.” Ren said softly, kissing Nora’s forehead, then Pyrrha’s after she sat up.

“Morning, Ren!” Nora sang softly, wrapping her arms around his neck and smooching him on lips and cheeks. Pyrrha giggled at the sight, kissing Ren’s other cheek as she got up.

“Where’s Jaune?” The taller woman asked, getting up off the couch and bringing the bowls that had been used earlier to the kitchen sink.

“I believe he’s jumped in the shower.” Ren addressed, carrying Nora into the kitchen after her, the smaller woman giggling. “I guess I’m making waffles, since Nora’s suggested it.”

“Aw yes, pancakes with abs!” Nora cheered, causing her two partners to laugh. After a moment, Ren set Nora down so she could turn the kettle on, knowing her two partners would want some tea. Ren turned to Pyrrha.

“Do you know where we put the waffle iron?” He asked, genuinely not sure.

-

As Jaune came downstairs, he could hear the now familiar laughter of his three lovers coming from the kitchen. He walked over to find the three of them sitting at the kitchen island, Ren and Pyrrha leaning together while drinking tea on their stools and Nora shoveling bits of syrup coated waffle into her mouth.

“Morning, Jaune.” Pyrrha said sweetly, and Nora nodded in agreement, bouncing in her stool.

“Morning, guys.” He said back, smiling at the three people he loved more than anything. He sat on the stool at the end next to Nora and she pushed a plate of waffles to him and some utensils, pausing in her eating to leave a syrupy kiss on his cheek. Pyrrha and Ren giggled, and the four of them sat together in their newfound bliss together.

They were home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean this does sound like a good place to just end it but we're not even close to done yet. Don't worry, there's still stuff I want to do here before this is all over. ;)


	12. See You Soon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The four lovers are content with each other, but there's one member of the team missing. They finally hear from him.

A few days of domestic bliss went by for the JNPR house, the four newfound lovers spending as much time together as they possibly could. If all four weren’t together, they were always paired off in some way, like Pyrrha and Ren meditating or reading together in the living room, while Jaune and Nora doing the dishes and splashing water at each other. The boys would run out to do some errands while the girls shopped online for a bigger bed for their now shared bedroom (as well as converting the other bedroom to a game room/library/den). Ren and Nora cooking dinner together while Jaune and Pyrrha sparred in the backyard.

All four of them eating together, helping each other pick out each other’s clothes or taking turns doing each other's hair. One of the taller three picking Nora up on their shoulders or bridal style and the other two giggling while she pretended to be offended. Singing and dancing together in the living room, laughing at their inside jokes, or even just laying on the couch in each other’s arms, watching the fireplace. 

Calling Pyrrha's mother, as she would once every week; she didn’t know how her father got her address, either, but she promised the four of them she would look into it. She didn’t even seem too surprised that the four of them were all together when Pyrrha finally told her.

_“She’s always been happier since she’s had the three of you in her life. And as long as my baby girl’s happy, I’m happy.”_ The older Nikos woman spoke softly at them over their call. _“Plus, it means more grandbabies.”_

“Mother!” Pyrrha shrieked at her mother in embarrassment as the other three either blushed, coughed awkwardly, or started laughing. After the call ended, Pyrrha just hugged the other three even closer to her and sighed. Jaune leaned a bit more into her; thankfully his parents were the only other parents they had to break their relationship to, but he seemed a bit more nervous about it.

“I’m sure they’ll see how happy you are, and at least would come around eventually.” Pyrrha softly reassured him, running her fingers through his hair.

“Especially with the whole **more grandbabies** thing.” Nora joked, and Pyrrha giggled, grabbing a couch pillow and throwing it at their girlfriend.

“We’ve barely been together a week, we’re not jumping right into kids!” She said, embarrassed, though the idea of them starting a family eventually was something Pyrrha wasn’t against by any means; the very idea, in fact, was making her blush a bit.

“At least not for a couple of years, still. I’m certainly not in a rush for such...responsibilities.” Ren stammered, a bit pale. Nora noticed the nervousness in her first love and leaned over, kissing his cheek a few times and hugging him.

“Relax, Ren. We’re still waiting on our one adopted baby to come home, remember?” Nora chirped, pulling Ren into a position of him laying in her lap. He hummed softly as she ran her fingers through his bangs.

“Wait, when did you--oh, you mean Oscar.” Jaune said, remembering their little in-joke of Ren and Nora _adopting_ Oscar. Clearing his throat, he sat up on the couch.

“He should be calling us any day now, I’m sure. Though I think there was just a snow storm over by his aunt’s farm, so that may delay him a bit.” Jaune said, recalling as he’d checked the weather over in the area of Mistral the farm was located.

“I hope he’s okay out there. It must be lonely.” Pyrrha mused, brow furrowing at the thought of the youngest member of their team being all on his own.

“I’m sure we’ll hear from him soon.” Ren reassured her, reaching a hand over to Pyrrha’s.

-

Soon turned out to be at 5 in the morning the next day. Jaune jumped out of bed as his scroll’s ringtone for Oscar (he had specific ringtones for everyone) went off all the sudden, and he ran to the dresser. The other three sat up sharply too, and Nora nearly jumped out of bed herself, excitedly chattering.

“Oscar?!” Jaune croaked, still half-asleep.

“It’s my baby it’s my baby it’s my baby!” Nora cheered and Pyrrha and Ren grabbed her and pulled her back onto the bed, laughing at the burst of energy. 

_“Jaune!”_ Oscar’s voice was soft on speaker, indicating it was probably late for him too. _“I would’ve waited a bit longer but I’ve just been watching my scroll for signal and I finally got it and got really excited. I’m sorry if I woke you.”_

“It’s fine, we’re just glad to finally hear from you, buddy.” Jaune said groggily, bringing his scroll back over to the bed. “Especially Nora.”

“Hi Ozzy! Are you okay? Did you sleep at all before calling us? Are you eating okay?” Nora asked, and would have kept asking questions if Ren didn’t place his hand over her mouth. They could hear Oscar chuckle from the other end of the line.

_“I’m okay, Nora. Thanks.”_ Oscar said on the other line, sounding a bit tired.

“How far out from Argus are you?” Pyrrha asked, her sleepiness managing to hide her excitement.

_“A couple of hours, give or take. The train’s running at slower speeds because of all the snow fall, apparently there was an avalanche on another line so they’re being extra cautious. At least the train food isn’t too bad, even if they did overcook the chicken a bit.”_

“But you’re safe?” Ren asked, furrowing his brow a bit.

_“Of course, no worries. I’ve still got Long Memory with me, though I haven’t had any trouble. Not as much Grimm these days, y’know. My aunt was a little worried about me travelling on my own again but I assured her it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle on my own.”_

“Of course, you’re not a lil’ boy anymore. You’re a huntsman now yourself. You can take care of yourself.” Nora said, trying to beam but a hint of worry in her voice. Jaune patted her head gently, and she sat up to lean on his shoulder.

“There’s...a few things we’ve got to tell you. But once you’re here of course.” Jaune added; he was sure Oscar wouldn’t be objective to their new relationship status, but the nerves would be there no matter who it was they were breaking it to.

_“No worries. We’ll have plenty of time to catch up once we’re all living together and such. We can have everyone over too, right?”_ Oscar sounded like his tiredness was catching up to him.

“Of course we will. Now get some sleep, we’ll be there when you get to Argus, okay?” Jaune said.

_“Okay. The train should be getting there around 10. See you guys then. Love you guys.”_

“We love you too!” Nora cried, the other three laughing. The call ended, and Jaune got up to put his scroll back on the charger. Nora squealed and hugged Pyrrha and Ren close.

Oscar was coming home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit shorter today but I'm waiting for dinner and want to make Oscar's arrival it's own chapter. Because it's going to be a feels train. Because their lil bro/son/honorary teammate's coming home! Yay!


	13. Coming Home, Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar comes home and finds things aren't quite what he'd expected between his four friends.

It was 9:45 am when Oscar woke to find he was a few stops away from Argus. The older teen sat up slowly, thankful the train had such comfortable beds and that he hadn’t had to share a room with a stranger. He’d had more than enough of that for one lifetime, even if he did miss having someone to talk to all the time. It was lonely sometimes, but he was also grateful to have his own space again.

Gathering his belongings, most of his stuff already at the house but carrying a suitcase of some books he’d wanted to read on the way (plus some scarves his aunt had knitted for his new housemates) and a few clothes. He quickly brushed his teeth and his face, brushing his hair and just neatening himself up. He knew Jaune and Nora would be waiting for him, Pyrrha and Ren opting to wait for them at the house with ‘a surprise’. Whatever that meant.

_ I can’t wait to see them all again.  _ Oscar thought, then waited a moment for a response before he remembered. He got sullen for a moment, but shook it off.  _ He would want me to be happy, right? _

**Next stop, Argus Station.** An automated voice called out over the old speakers, slightly muffled. Oscar sighed, gathering his bags and began to make his way towards the exit of the train car. He seemed to be the only one besides an old woman getting off the train.  _ I wonder how Maria’s doing. _

As the train slowed to a stop, he politely let the old woman get off before him, even if it took a moment for the ticketer to grab a step stool to help her get down. He got off next, nodding politely to the man. He began to walk towards the station exit when suddenly he felt something knock him to the ground.

“OSCAR! MY BABY!” Nora’s voice shrieked, echoing in the relatively empty station. Oscar, used to being tackle-hugged by the older huntress by now, hugged her back.

“I missed you too, Nora.” He said, chuckling softly. He knew that people were probably staring at them, but he was too happy to care.

“Nora, I thought we agreed on no tackle-hugs.” Jaune was heard scolding from above them, hands on his hips, feigning anger at their teammate.

“He’s a big boy now, Jauney. He can handle a hug from me.” Nora playfully argued, letting go of Oscar and helping him up. She glanced up at Oscar; at some point he completely surpassed her in size and was as tall as Ren was now. Oscar smiled at her, recalling the day she realized he’d gotten taller than her.

_ “NOOOOOO! I CAN’T CALL YOU CUTE LIL BOY OZ IF YOU’RE  _ **_TALLER THAN ME!_ ** ” She’d lamented, hugging his waist and actually crying, much to the amusement of their friends.  _ “You’re not allowed! IT’S NOT FAAAAAIR!!!” _

The most amusing thing about it was that Oscar had only grown an inch taller than her at that point. He’d remembered Ruby and Jaune not being able to contain their laughter, and Ren pulling her off him and pointing out she’d gotten similarly upset with him for outgrowing her, too, years ago. Weiss rolled her eyes and Blake giggled in amusement.

_ “He’s still little to me. For now.” _ Yang had said, ruffling his hair. The only ones taller than him now, he believed, were Jaune and Pyrrha, as well as Qrow.

“You sure did pack a lot, what did you bring? The rest of your room?” Jaune said, grabbing one of Oscar’s bags, thankfully the heavier one. 

“Basically what was left on my bookshelf and some extra things my aunt insisted on. Clothes, some stuff she knit, you know.” Oscar explained, going to pick up his other baggage, only to find Nora had already grabbed it.

“No, no, no. We’ve got it. You’ve been carrying this stuff enough for now. Let’s get this stuff in the car and get you home!” Nora insisted. Oscar nodded, following the two of them towards the station exit. He couldn’t help but notice how closer the two seemed, but he didn’t think much of it. He’d know the bond between his four teammates was closer than a lot of other teams were, as Ozpin told him such.

Anyway, he was just glad to be finally almost home. With his team, his family.

-

The menu that morning was fried eggs, ground beef empanadas and homemade hot chocolate with cinnamon added to it; Oscar’s favorite. Ren had dragged Jaune out to the store early yesterday morning just to buy all the ingredients, as well as various hot sauces, as Oscar liked adding some to his food. Ren had put the empanadas in the stove and was frying the eggs, having gotten Nora’s text that they were on their way back. Pyrrha was in charge of the hot chocolate, having been a recipe she’d learned from her grandmother years ago.

The hot chocolate was fairly low maintenance, though, so when Pyrrha wasn’t stirring the pot, she was putting her arms around Ren’s waist, leaning her head on his shoulder, occasionally leaving kisses on his neck or cheek. She wasn’t being too distracting, and Ren didn’t mind; the days of the Do Not Touch the Cook apron was long gone, even if he did still have it somewhere. He wasn’t sure where; neither of the girls would tell him.

“You’re going to make me burn the eggs.” Ren playfully scolded, blushing as one of Pyrrha’s hands ran up his chest.

“Jaune likes them like that anyway.” She replied, giggling at her boyfriend’s bashfulness. She was much more brazen with her flirtations now that all four of them were an item, Ren had noticed; she was almost worse than Nora. Not that he really had a problem with that, though.

“Not all the time, though.” He tried to reason, keeping his eyes on the timer. “I’m trying not to ruin Oscar’s first breakfast home.”

“You get so serious when you’re cooking.” Pyrrha commented, kissing him on the cheek once more to resume stirring the hot chocolate.

“Cooking is serious business.” Ren stated seriously. The two exchanged a glance and began laughing. Ren set the spatula aside for a moment to take Pyrrha’s freehand in his, bringing it up to his lips and kissing her knuckles softly.

“I am glad to have your company, though.” He mused softly, before Pyrrha leaned over and kissed his lips slowly and softly.

“And I yours.” she whispered against his lips, kissing him a second time. They broke apart when the door swung open and Nora came through the door, carrying both of Oscar’s bags now and setting them in the living room. She bounced over to them, giving both a quick kiss on the chin.

“He’s  _ here! _ Our lil’ Ozzy is here!” Nora cheered, skipping around the kitchen. “Oh gosh that smells  _ so good _ .”

“You’re certainly excited.” Pyrrha hummed, wrapping her arms around Nora’s shoulders and kissing her forehead.

“Breakfast should be ready in a few more minutes, go bring his bags up to his room since you’ve got so much energy.” Ren added, leaning over and kissing Nora’s lips briefly, the other woman immediately nodding and running out of the kitchen. Ren licked his lips. He sighed.

“Jaune’s let her have coffee, it seems.” Ren grimaced.

“Oh dear.” Pyrrha said, giggling. Their girlfriend and caffeine weren’t supposed to be allowed within several feet of each other. Hopefully, it had been decaf and a moment’s weakness on Jaune’s part and not her sneaking in an ungodly amount of espresso shots in. That had happened at Beacon and they’d had to spend an entire Saturday cleaning the cafeteria as punishment.

“Hello!” Oscar came in the door with Jaune right behind him, and Pyrrha, being completely unable to help herself, ran at the younger man and hugged him, picking him up off his feet and spinning them both in a circle.

“Oscar! I’ve missed you so much!” Pyrrha cheered, putting him back down and smooching his cheek. Oscar giggled, pushing the taller woman off him gently.

“I missed you too. Gah, between you and Nora I’m going to get smothered to death with affection, aren’t I?” Oscar playfully teased. Pyrrha ruffled his hair before letting him go.

“And you’re going to love every second of it, young man.” She quipped before running back into the kitchen. Oscar followed, meeting Ren halfway with a hug. 

“Welcome home, Oscar.” Ren said softly.

“Glad to be home.” Oscar replied.

Jaune came in behind Oscar, kissing Pyrrha on the cheek and ruffling Oscar’s hair, before noticing Ren’s eyes narrowed right at him. He quirked a brow for a moment at his boyfriend before his brain caught up.

“She gave me the puppy eyes, okay? And it was half-decaf, okay? Don’t worry, we won’t have to rebuild the house.” Jaune explained, waving his hands.

“You mean  _ you _ won’t have to rebuild the house.” Ren jokingly corrected. Jaune scoffed, nudging Ren with his shoulder gently. Without really thinking about it, Ren grabbed Jaune and kissed him. Then, realizing what he’d done, they both broke apart and turned to Oscar, who stared wide-eyed at them. Pyrrha laughed nervously and patted the younger boy’s shoulder.

“I guess we should explain what’s going on, shouldn’t we?” Pyrrha suggested.

“Did the boys kiss in front of Oscar before we could tell him we’re all dating?” Nora called as she came down the stairs. Her three lovers looked at her with variously outraged expressions.

“What?” Oscar piped, both brows raised. The oven’s timer went off.

“We’ll discuss this over breakfast, I suppose.” Ren muttered, shaking his head as he put his oven mitts on.


	14. Coming Home Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't exactly what Oscar expected, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

The five sat together at the round dining table, Oscar surrounded by his teammates, having abruptly just been told they were all dating. They had had a plate of what Ren had prepared in front of them, in various states of consumption. Oscar, despite the nervousness he’d suddenly felt, was eagerly enjoying the meal; they had made it just for him, after all, and he was never one to turn down food made by Ren. He couldn’t believe it was the older huntsmen’s first time making empanadas, they were so good.

“So, explain to me,” Oscar started once he’d polished off his food. “How did this happen and how does it all work? This whole dating more than one person is kind of new to me.”

“It’s called polyamory.” Nora started, mouth full of food, but Ren narrowed his eyes at her, and she playfully rolled her eyes in response.

“Basically, me and Nora kissed, Ren and Pyrrha kissed, Pyrrha and Nora kissed, me and Ren kissed, and we all sat down and talked about it and we all love each other _romantically_ , so we decided to all be in a relationship with each other.” Jaune explained, before taking a long drink of his orange juice.

“It’s the same as a relationship with only two people, just a little more communication required.” Ren added.

“And a lot more snuggles!” Nora tacked on after swallowing her food.

“And you’re all happy this way?” Oscar asked, a bit of firmness to his voice. If Ozpin had left any remnant of his personality in Oscar, it was definitely his almost fatherly concern for others. It was almost amusing, considering how much younger he was than them.

“Of course. We wouldn’t be dating each other if it didn’t make us happy. And we didn’t love each other. Which we do.” Pyrrha stammered, her face slightly flushed.

“Are you...okay with this?” Jaune asked, his eyes meeting Oscar’s hazel. The youngest nodded profusely, stiffening up a bit.

“Of course! I didn’t mean it if I came off as not supportive. I’m sorry.” Oscar stammered. Ren, to his left, patted Oscar’s head gently.

“We know you didn’t. It’s perfectly fine to be uncertain with unfamiliar things. We’re just a bit closer that we were before. We all love each other.” Ren said gently, the two boys exchanging a smile.

“And we don’t love _you_ any less, of course!” Nora said, on Oscar’s other side, moving Ren’s hand to ruffle Oscar’s hair, much to the younger boy’s objections.

“I went out of my way to make sure my hair looked nice today, Nora.” Oscar whined playfully, gently pushing her hand away. “And I know you don’t. I’ll just have to get used to all of you being smoochy around me.”

“You got used to Yang and Blake.” Nora jabbed teasingly.

“I got used to just you and Ren.” Oscar replied, sticking his tongue out at Nora as she feigned offense with an overly dramatic gasp.

“Rude little boy!” Nora huffled, all of them laughing.

-

The four of them showed Oscar around their home; the kitchen and living room were covered, and Jaune had shown him the front porch as they came inside. He almost wanted to run around the backyard when they showed him around, the covered-up pool and where he and Ren would have their gardens were very exciting and it was such a big yard. He was used to a lot of land on his aunt’s farm, but he’d never really had a yard before, let alone one with a pool.

“Could we get one of those...benches that swing?” Oscar suggested before they’d gone back inside.

“You mean a patio swing? We had one of those at my parent’s house.” Jaune piped, burying his hands in his jacket’s pockets.

“Wait, that’s a thing?!” Nora exclaimed, holding her hands to her face.

“It’s a thing.” Jaune replied, amused by how cute she could be.

“As long as we get a hammock too.” Ren added.

“We’ve got to have something for Ren to nap on.” Pyrrha teased.

Back inside, they all went up the stairs. Explaining that they’d all moved into one bedroom and were waiting on a bigger bed, the other bedroom that had been Nora and Ren’s was currently mostly empty, but would soon be filled with what would make it into an entertainment room. The spare bedroom after that looked sparse, minimalist furniture. Oscar quirked a brow.

“Where’s my stuff?” Oscar asked, genuinely confused.

“This isn’t _your_ room, you sillyhead.” Nora murmured, rubbing his back.

“Oh. Where _is_ my room?” Oscar added. The four exchanged a mutual grin, which only perplexed Oscar further. They lead him to the opposite end of the hallway from their bedroom, where the spiral staircase led up. Jaune grinned; the room was much more complete now than it had been weeks before, when he had followed Nora after their argument. Oscar looked back at him, and for a moment, he could see him as he’d been when they’d first met again; a 14 year old farmhand. 

Oscar grinned before he ran up the suitcase, slowing a bit towards the middle when he realized how dizzying it could be (Ren told him gently to be careful), the wooden stairs sturdy beneath his feet. Once he’d reached the top, he paused. There were two doors on each side of a small, though not terribly cramped hallway. He heard Pyrrha come up behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

“On the left is a closet, and your bathroom. To the right is a small storage space...and your room.” She explained softly ending it by pointing to the door on the far right. Oscar felt his hands tremble a bit as he walked towards his room. There was a sign on the door; hand painted wood with his name in green and orange, somewhat reminiscent of his eyes. He reached up and turned the handle, opening his bedroom door for the first time.

It was by far the nicest room Oscar had ever had, and the biggest despite the sloped ceiling of the house. He had a full sized bed all to himself, with plenty of pillows and a bedsheet set that had a pond with frogs and tadpoles on them. He had his own bookcase, what books he had shipped over already sitting there in alphabetical order (undoubtedly Ren’s doing). There was a large chest at the foot of his bed, opened, with a few stuffed animals in them (absolutely Nora’s doing).

There was a desk with a rather comfortable chair, and a cork board hanging off the wall above it, already covered in pictures of him and all of his friends; his eyes went straight to a picture of them all together, taken right after the war was finally over. Him, teams JNPR and RWBY, and Qrow, standing in front of an airship together, arm in arm, all looking fairly exhausted. He was clinging to Ruby, the both of them barely being able to stand. There was a small door (likely a closet) at the other end. 

And on the sloped ceiling the biggest window he’d ever had, overviewing the lake and forest the house had been nearby. Next to it was a small fireplace of his own, already with some lumber beside it and a rather old but still comfortable looking chair placed in front of it; it had belonged to Oscar’s grandfather and he’d sent it with hopes it wouldn’t have fallen apart in transport, but it looked refurbished, better than it ever had in his memory. It was overwhelming, more than Oscar could’ve ever asked for, and his eyes welled up with tears.

“You...you guys…” was all he could croak out before he turned, seeing all four of them standing behind him, all misty eyed as well.

“Welcome home, Oscar.” Jaune breathed, and the teenager threw himself at his friends, the five of them embracing.

“Thank you.” Oscar sobbed, resting his head on Jaune’s chest as the four enveloped him. He was home. He was finally home.


	15. Episode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha has a rough morning both mentally and physically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up; this chapter I introduce some AU headcanons; namely that Pyrrha lost her leg in the aftermath of her fight with Cinder and that she has anxiety because of her father. She's going to have a panic attack in this chapter and it's my first time really depicting one so hopefully I don't screw it up. Anyway, read on and hopefully you enjoy this fic so far. Don't worry, it'll get better for her soon. Her lovers will make sure of that. Oscar too.

If there’s one thing Pyrrha Nikos wouldn’t miss about the winter time, it was the ache in her right leg she’d felt on the coldest of mornings. This morning, even though spring was now right around the corner, a sharp twinge of pain was what woke her from her sleep, nestled between her partners who were all still sound asleep. She looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand; it wasn’t even 5 am yet. She sighed softly and pulled her leg out from under the blanket carefully.

Pyrrha’s leg had been severely damaged by the arrow shot into her ankle during her fight with Cinder Fall and not even her revival had repaired the damage; it was as if they’d left her with a challenge when she’d been given a second chance at life. Eventually, amputation was the only answer, and Pietro Polendina was kind enough to give her a prosthetic to replace the damaged leg. 

Red with golden accents, the paint job had been a gift from Yang; it was beautiful and had touched her when it’d been presented to her to the point of tears. Yet sometimes it was also a reminder that she wasn’t the _Invincible Girl_ anymore. That she had fallen, once before, and was fallible like anyone else. It was humbling, but also somewhat terrifying. 

“Pyrrha?” Jaune’s voice whispered, snapping her out of her thoughts. She turned to him, startled slightly.

“It’s okay. Just phantom pains. That’s all.” Pyrrha whispered, voice slightly trembling. Jaune sighed, sitting up a bit.

“Want me to rub your leg?” Jaune asked, stroking her hair softly. 

“Please?” Pyrrha pleaded softly, and Jaune scooted, careful not to wake Nora, who had been at his backside. Ren was on Pyrrha’s other side, and stirred slightly, but said nothing. Sitting at Pyrrha’s feet, he helped take off the prosthetic limb and set it aside, at the foot of the bed next to him. Pyrrha’s right leg had been amputated right below the knee and yet she swore she could still feel pain all the way down to where her ankle had been.

Jaune’s kneading was gentle, firm just enough to alleviate the pain Pyrrha had been feeling. She sighed softly, leaning back on the headrest and allowing her first love to take care of her. Her other two lovers weren’t out of the loop, however, as Nora, half-asleep, moved closer and placed her head onto Pyrrha’s other leg, and Ren had taken her hand in his, stroking her knuckle with his thumb gently. Pyrrha couldn’t help but smile at the attention her lovers were giving her.

“You’re all so sweet.” she whispered. Ren kissed her hand and Nora giggled. Jaune smiled up at her.

“You know we’d do anything for you, right?” Jaune asked, voice subdued in the dim light. Pyrrha nodded.

“Of course.” she sighed, stroking Nora’s hair, and relaxing.

* * *

A few hours later, Nora was flipping through the channels in the living room while Jaune and Oscar were taking care of the post-breakfast dishes. Ren was outside meditating in the backyard, and Pyrrha had come back downstairs after a quick shower, much faster now with her hair cropped short. She sometimes missed her longer hair, but she didn’t dislike it now. In her hoodie and sweatpants, not planning on going out today, she sat down on the couch next to Nora. 

Nothing seemed to be on aside from talk shows, educational cartoons, but Nora paused on the news, which was reporting on the weather. It was nice to see temperatures getting warmer, and Nora cooed because there were supposed to be thunderstorms later that week. Then, the next story came on, and suddenly, Pyrrha couldn’t breathe.

Her father appeared on the screen, older and somewhat disheveled looking. He was wearing what could only have been a prison uniform, bright orange and short sleeved, his muscular arms shackled. His brown eyes glared into the camera, his scarred lips scowling. Pyrrha felt herself go cold, her heart pounding, her entire body trembling.

_“Ares Nikos, best known as the father of the famed Pyrrha Nikos, began trial today. The 56 year old former huntsman is on trial for embezzlement, domestic assault and attempted murder of his partner…”_ the news reporter prattled on about her father’s situation, but Pyrrha could no longer hear anything. The television was shut off and she felt Nora throw her arms around her.

“Pyrrha! Breathe, honey. Please.” Nora begged, distant despite being right next to her. She felt Ren’s hand touch her back softly, not sure when he’d come inside (had Oscar or Jaune called for him? She couldn’t think straight). His semblance calmed her quickly, and Nora pulled her into a lying position as she caught her breath.

A wave of nausea, flashes of memories, her father’s anger and her mother’s tears. Her head spun and ached all at once. She thought she heard Jaune tell Oscar to get the garbage pail just in case. Nora stroked her hair and Ren held her hands and Pyrrha was sure for a few moments that she was about to die, surely, she was about to die. Her father, as far away as he was, was going to kill her somehow.

“Breathe, Pyrrha. _Breathe_.” Ren insisted, his voice as panicked as Pyrrha felt.

“It’s okay. We’re here. We’ve got you.” Oscar whimpered, sitting on the floor next to where Nora sat on the couch.

“We won’t let him hurt you. We won’t let him _anywhere near you_. I swear we won’t, baby.” Jaune soothed, his hand on her stomach.

Eventually, the episode passed and Pyrrha calmed. Her mind reeled; none of those crimes were things she would rule out her father doing, not even the attempted murder. His partner? His combat partner? Had he gotten into another relationship? Was she wrong to have not read his letter? Was this somehow her fault?

“You okay, Pyrrha?” Nora asked softly, brushing her hair out of her face. Pyrrha nodded.

“I should...call my mother...I…” Pyrrha stammered, her hands still shaking.

“Go upstairs and rest for a bit, first. We’ll call her later, okay?” Jaune reasoned. Pyrrha nodded again. Jaune and Nora exchanged glances before he picked Pyrrha up bridal style.

“I’ll stay with her. You guys let me know if anything comes up.” Jaune said before he carried Pyrrha upstairs, back to their room. Nora looked at Ren and Oscar. Oscar got up and sat between the two and ran his face over his hands.

“I can’t believe her father is...someone like _that._ ” Oscar sighed. Nora pulled him over to lean on her shoulder, now stroking his hair.

“It’s hard to believe someone as sweet as her can have such a despicable person for a dad, huh?” She added. Ren hummed in affirmation, but a knock on the door came just before he could add to the conversation. They waited a moment, then there was banging on the door.

“Are you kidding me?!” Nora muttered, gritting her teeth.

“I’ll look into it. Stay here with Oscar, okay?” Ren softly spoke, leaning in and kissing her briefly before walking briskly to their front door. On the other side was a short, stubby man with a notepad and a camera.

“Can I...help you?” Ren asked, voice tense. The man looked up at him, and seeing the cold expression on the huntsman’s face, pink eyes glaring daggers at him, the man swallowed loudly.

“Um. Yeah. Is this the residence of Pyrrha Nikos? I’d like to ask her some questions about her father.” the man stated, intimidated but determined. Ren inhaled sharply. 

“You are to _leave here_ and _never come back_ . If you do not heed my warning, if you bring _any kind of harm_ onto **_my family_ ** , you will be sorry you were **_ever even born_ ** **.** Do you understand me?” Ren growled in a tone reserved only for his most hated enemies. He didn’t have Stormflower on him, but that wouldn’t stop him from tearing the man apart if he ever saw him again. 

“Understood, sorry, have a nice day.” The man whimpered before running back to his car, a rickety old thing that had to be older than anyone in the house, jumping in the passenger window and immediately driving off as fast as he could.

“Who was that, babe?” Nora called from inside. Ren slammed the door behind him.

“Nobody worth our time, dearest.” Ren called back.


	16. Let it Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pyrrha finally reads the letter her father had sent her so she can finally start to let him go. Also, some surprise visitors bring the JNPOR house some needed happiness.

Pyrrha was crying again, more softly this time, after her phone call with her mom. Her mother, Cassandra, hadn’t even found out how her father had gotten their address, and the news that he was on trial had been overwhelming to her, too. After their rocky marriage and divorce, the older woman had wanted to move on with her life, to get as far from the man as possible, and now she couldn’t even watch the news without seeing his face. She cried upon finding out about Pyrrha’s panic attack.

_ “Baby, he can’t hurt us anymore. Especially not if he goes to prison. Don’t worry.” _ Cassandra had said softly, hoping to soothe her daughter’s fears. In the embrace of her partners on the couch, Pyrrha felt safer than she ever had anywhere else; Jaune and Ren were on either side of her with their arms around her and Nora, who was in her lap, holding her face and wiping her tears away as they fell. Oscar had gone to bed an hour ago.

“I hate how scared I am right now.” Pyrrha whispered. Jaune shushed her and kissed her shoulder.

“It’s okay to be scared. But your mom’s right. He can’t hurt you.” Jaune soothed, stroking her shortened hair.

“We won’t let that happen.” Ren added firmly.

“And if he tries, we’ll break his fucking legs.” Nora grumbled, burying her head in Pyrrha’s neck and sniffling, crying herself. Seeing Pyrrha in this state broke her heart.

Pyrrha had told them all what kind of a man her father, Ares, really was. To outsiders, he was just a firm, strict coach to his daughter, rarely cracking a smile. But behind closed doors, the man was an emotionally abusive bastard to his daughter and even more so his wife. When her mother finally took her and left him, the man did everything in his power to smear her in the news, until some unhinged voicemails and financial records exposed him for who he really was. He ended up losing everything, and was disgraced even as a huntsmen. 

Apparently, he’d fallen into a deep depression after what had happened to Pyrrha at the Fall of Beacon. And now, the man was facing imprisonment for the rest of his life. She still had his letter, sitting now on the table in front of them again. Pyrrha wasn’t sure what he’d wanted. She wasn’t sure if she should even read it before throwing it in the fireplace. But a part of her knew she’d regret not knowing what he wanted to tell her.

“I...I think I need to read it. At least some of it.” she whispered, wiping her eyes and moving Nora onto Ren’s lap. She reached a shaky hand to the envelope and picked it up. Holding it in her hand, reading her name written in her father’s almost cursive handwriting. 

“You don’t have to read it if you don’t want to.” Ren reassured her. She slowly stood and walked over towards the fireplace.

“I need to. Otherwise...otherwise this is going to just stay with me for the rest of my life.” Pyrrha reasoned softly. She ripped the envelope open and pulled out the lined paper. She could see the black ink through the thin paper. Opening the letter, she took a deep breath. 

_ “My little princess,”  _ was a name her father hadn’t addressed her with since her early childhood. She cringed visibly, it was fine then but now it felt awkward and demeaning, the kind of demeaning her father was all too good at.

“ _ I had never intended harm on either you or your mother. Things had been difficult for us, all the failed pregnancies before you, and all your training was expensive--that’s why I started coaching you myself. I wanted to build you  _ **_in my image_ ** _ , to be as glorious as I had been in my own youth. You were that and so much more. _

_ Your mother always thought I was pushing you too hard. She could never understand my vision for you; what I had wanted for you! I only wanted what was best for you, I swear it. I love you so much, Pyrrha, and I am so proud of you. That’s why I resented your mother so much, her taking you away from me! You didn’t even have a say in it, did you? _

_ That’s also why she sent you to Beacon, didn’t she? She knew I had been teaching in Haven for years, and didn’t want me to be anywhere near you. I’m sorry she has been keeping us apart. You will always be  _ **_a part of me_ ** _ , my little one. Nobody can take that away from me. From us.” _

Without even reading his name at the end, she just tossed the note into the fireplace, the thin paper being swallowed up by the flames. She returned to the couch, to the arms of the three people who loved her, truly  _ loved her _ , more than that man ever could.

“He hasn’t changed at all.” was all she spoke.

-

Later that night, Oscar came back downstairs, having gotten out of bed to get some water. He found his teammates, his family, lying in each other’s arms, asleep on the sectional couch. He smiled softly; they all looked tired, yet content in each other’s arms. Thankfully, there was a blanket draped along the back of the couch, so he pulled it out and threw it over them, letting them sleep there.

At least, that had been the plan before he walked into the kitchen and mistook which dispenser on the fridge was for water and which one was for ice, the loud humming of the fridge and the clang of ice hitting glass causing Nora’s head to shoot up.

“...sorry.” he murmured. Nora smiled and shook her head. Thankfully, she just shifted a bit and lowered her head back onto Pyrrha’s chest. Oscar heard Pyrrha giggle a bit.

-

A knock came on the door late the next morning. Nora, having been watching cartoons, tensed a bit. She was alone downstairs, Ren and Jaune having gone to the shops together, while Pyrrha was taking a nap upstairs, and Oscar was walking around the backyard. She wished she didn’t have Magnhild stored in a box upstairs, it would be too much of a pain to run up to get it just in case that asshole reporter had come back. She’d have to take care of him barehanded then, something she wasn’t opposed to by any means. Magnhild just made dirty work like beating up paparazzi much easier.

Putting the remote down and jogging toward the door, she hopped up to try to look through the door’s eyehole. Sometimes, she really hated being so short. She took a deep breath and opened the door. Short black-red ombre hair and silver eyes came into view, along with a beaming smile.

“Ruby!” Nora gasped, her guard dropping completely.

“Nora!” Ruby cried out, and the two small huntresses threw their arms around one another, Nora picking up the younger woman and swinging her in a circle. But she was picked up herself, whilst still holding Ruby, one of the arms unmistakably metal.

“Oh my gosh Yang’s here too!” Nora cried.

“Of course! Someone had to drive Ruby here, she still doesn’t have her license.” Yang joked, earning a soft jab from her younger sister.

“Not for lack of trying! Driving’s hard!” Ruby whined as Yang set the other two women down.

“She ran over a whole bunch of traffic cones during her last test.” Yang pointed out, smirking. Ruby sighed. But there was a third visitor sniffing at Nora’s feet, a familiar old corgi who looked up and Nora, standing on his hind legs and barking to get her attention.

“And Zwei, how could I forget you!” Nora cooed, picking her small dog up and holding him close in a gentle hug. Zwei licked her cheek and whined, he’d missed her. Behind her, Nora heard Pyrrha come down the stairs. The minute she saw her friends, she started running softly towards them, Yang and Ruby meeting her half way and jumping into her arms. Strong as ever, holding up the two sisters was nothing for her. The three giggled and embraced.

“I missed you guys so much! Just you two?” Pyrrha asked, setting them down.

“Us and Zwei. Weiss has some Schnee stuff to take care of and Blake’s got White Fang stuff and we were free and in town, so we figured we’d stop by.” Ruby explained, still holding onto Pyrrha; the two had been close considering what they’d experienced together, what Ruby had witnessed. Oscar came inside and was instantly grabbed and hugged by Yang before he could even realize what was going on.

“Yang?!” Oscar yelped in surprise, the older huntress picking him up with ease.

“Little Ozzy’s here too!” Yang teased, swinging him around once before setting him back down. Ruby walked over and the two hugged tightly for a moment.

“Hey Ruby.” Oscar mused softly.

“Hey Oscar.” Ruby said in return, the two exchanging a glance before they both started laughing. “It’s so weird that you’re so much taller than me now! You used to be so much shorter than me.”

“Hey, puberty’s better to some than others.” Oscar teased. Ruby punched his arm. Yang, Pyrrha and Nora all laughed, Nora setting Zwei down, letting the dog run over and jump up onto Oscar’s legs, the boy petting the dog’s head generously. The dog scampered back to Pyrrha, giving both her legs a sniff. He gently licked her uninjured leg’s knee. She knelt down and rubbed Zwei’s head and chin.

“Who’s a sweet boy?” Pyrrha baby talked at the dog, tail wagging picking up in speed at the playful speech.

“Guys, why are we leaving the door wide o--RUBY! YANG!” Jaune called into the house, before realizing their guests and setting grocery bags on the floor before running at his best friend. Ruby met him halfway and hugged his waist tightly.

“JAUNE!” Ruby cried happily. Ren came in behind him and was just about to speak when Yang hugged him.

“Oh! Hello.” Ren chuckled, returning the embrace he’d been suddenly given.

“We missed you guys!” Yang cheered. They all laughed and embraced.

“Just let us put these away so we can catch up.” Jaune said, pulling Ren out of the group hug and picking the set down bags back up.

“We’ll show you guys around in the meantime.” Pyrrha said to Ruby and Yang, who nodded.

“Sounds great!” Ruby replied cheerfully.

“Lead the way.” Yang added.


	17. Getting Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JNPR's visit with Ruby and Yang (and Zwei) comes with new revelations...and new ideas of how to help Pyrrha with her anxiety.

After showing Ruby and Yang around their home, the group sat on the patio in the backyard in various chairs, Zwei running around the yard and rolling around the grass as dogs do. The weather was finally warm enough to warrant outdoor wandering and conversation, thankfully. Even if there was a bit of pollen in the air, judging by the occasional, high pitched sneeze from Nora. 

“Bleh, allergies.” the small redhead muttered, sniffling a bit. Ren, sitting next to her on the swinging bench, rubbed the back of her head.

“This is why I handed you those pocket tissues before we came outside.” He gently reminded her.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Thanks.” Nora replied, looking at him with a soft smile.

They conversated for a bit about the events since the war ended; Ruby and Yang had been at home with their dad, who insisted they’d rest at home with him. Weiss and Blake both visited rather often, of course. Qrow seemed to be doing well too, as well as Maria. Pietro and Penny were off in Mantle and Atlas, helping rebuild there. The Schnee Dust Company was now in control by all three Schnee siblings as a joint effort. The White Fang was now back to its roots as an organization fighting for Faunus rights, though the fight was much easier now than it ever had been, more and more people wanting to co-exist and live in peace.

On top of that, Ruby was starting to write a book; she’d always loved stories herself and what better story than the one she lived through? Though of course, she would be omitting certain details here and there, things better left between their group. But she seemed excited about it, babbling about it for quite some time. Then, the members of team JNPR exchanged a look between the four of them, smiling at each other.

“What’s up?” Yang asked, noticing their glances. Zwei, having finally tuckered himself out, came back up to the patio and jumped into Ruby’s lap.

“We’ve got something to tell you guys.” Jaune said, a tinge of nerves in his voice. Ruby sat up a bit in her seat, furrowing her brows a bit.

“What’s going on?” She asked. Pyrrha giggled, drawing the other girls’ attention to her.

“The four of us...we’re...together.” Pyrrha announced softly.

“ _ Together _ together.” Nora added, proudly emphasizing. Ren nodded. Ruby’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped in genuine surprise. Yang smirked, crossing her arms.

“I had a feeling there was something going on between all four of you, moving into this big nice house together...and all of you sharing that big ol’ bed, too.” Yang teased. The four all blushed a little at the blonde’s frankness about the situation.

“I thought they were just, y’know. Platonically cuddling. And living together.” Ruby paused, scratching her head. “I’m usually so good at picking up on these things.”

“I mean, it makes sense, though. The four of them were always really close.” Yang pointed out, jabbing her sister gently with her elbow.

“Hey! It’s not as obvious as just Jaune and Pyrrha and just Ren and Nora were, okay? Unless there’s stuff I need to revisit in my memories.” Ruby muttered. Everyone started laughing.

“I  _ am _ happy for you guys, though. I knew you guys were always close, in a different way than our team was.” Ruby added, smiling at her friends. Nora squealed and got up, running over to her friend and hugging her.

“...maybe not  _ too  _ different.” Yang murmured, blushing very slightly. She’d been wearing motorcycle gloves the whole time and was pulling them off, finally. A ring on her left hand came into view; a silver band with three colored stones; purple, yellow and blue. Nora noticed immediately and her eyes shot up.

“You and Blake got engaged?!” Nora said, letting go of Ruby and bouncing on her feet.

“Me, Blake... _ and _ Weiss. Yeah.” Yang corrected. The group fell silent, and Yang and Ruby exchanged a giggling smile.

“Oh. My. Gosh! That’s so great!” Nora cheered, now jumping onto Yang with a hug, the other woman laughing and hugging her back.

“Wait, I knew you and Blake were a thing...when did the two of you start dating Weiss?” Jaune asked, smiling but quirking a brow.

“Oh, it’s a long story. Let’s just say there’s a reason why she always seemed tired of us whenever we flirted around her.” Yang said, rubbing the back of her head.

“Weiss was never very good at hiding that she was jealous.” Ruby added, giggling a bit.

-

They decided to order pizza for dinner, the unannounced guests not leaving Ren much time to figure out something nice to cook (and he hated not having plans made out when guests were coming over), and they’d all huddled in the living room watching TV. Pyrrha had gotten up to get a glass of water, and all seemed fine until it slipped out of her hands. The glass shattered loudly, causing the group to stop what they were doing and look back at her. She looked pale, her hand that had been holding the glass shaking slightly.

“I-I’m sorry. I must have not been holding it properly, I--” Pyrrha stammered, but Ren and Yang had both ran over already. Yang shushed her, holding her tightly in a side hug while Ren quickly swept up the broken glass.

“It happens, don’t worry. It’s okay.” Ren said, leaning over and kissing her forehead. “Bring her over to the couch.” He told Yang. The other woman brought her over, sitting her between Nora and Jaune, who both pulled her into a hug. She quietly murmured soft apologies as she tried to fight tears.  _ No, not now. I don’t want Yang and Ruby to worry about me. _

Zwei, then, jumped from the belly rubs he’d been getting in Oscar’s lap, over to Pyrrha’s. The dog whimpered slightly at the teary-eyed redhead and began licking her face. It was almost like nothing had happened, then, Pyrrha started to laugh as the corgi licked her face generously, and she began to pet the dog’s back.

“Huh. How’d Zwei know to do all that?” Jaune asked, looking up at Yang.

“Oh yeah. He’s  _ supposed  _ to be our dad’s emotional support pet. He got him not too long after...Summer died.” Yang answered, looking over to Ruby.

“Yeah, he’s a really old dog now, but he still remembers all that training he got as a puppy, too. Whenever stuff like this happens to any of us at home, he’s always right there.” the younger sister explained. Jaune and Nora exchanged a look. Nora turned to Pyrrha, and aside from being a bit short of breath, still just a bit tense, she was otherwise okay.

-

It had been a long trip and even though they’d insisted on the sisters and dog staying the night, they already had plans in Argus (which reminded Jaune that he wanted to go visit Saphron, Terra and Adrian very soon) the next day. Hugs were exchanged, and the three of them were off on Bumblebee II. 

“We’ll send the wedding invites when they’re ready!” Yang called back as she drove off.

The evening came upon them faster once their company was gone, and all the excitement had tuckered out most of them. Of course, the exception was Nora, who was chattering on about what they would be wearing to the wedding.

“They don’t even have a date yet, Nora.” Ren reminded her gently.

“It’s never too early to plan! Oh we can all wear matching dresses!” Nora piped, bouncing on her feet again as they all were getting ready for bed. “Or suits, if you’d prefer.”

“We’ll talk about it more when we finally know the date and what the dress code is. You’re getting yourself all excited and you’re not going to be able to sleep.” Jaune muttered, though still grabbing his small girlfriend and dragging her onto their bed. Nora giggled, turning in his arms and laying her head on his chest. Once settled, she calmed down.

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to make sure Oscar’s okay real quick before we go to bed.” Pyrrha called once changed into her nightgown, throwing a plush robe on and her slippers before leaving the room momentarily. Ren joined the other two, sitting up on Jaune’s left and stroking Nora’s hair a bit before he pulled a book he’d had sitting off the nightstand. He always like to read at least one or two chapters of a book before sleeping, though the current murder mystery he was reading was intriguing enough for at least three or four. 

Though, something was on his mind and he found himself too distracted. Nora and Jaune seemed to notice this and Nora sat up a bit, taking the unopened book from his hands and placing it back on the nightstand, pecking his lips.

“What’s the matter?” she asked softly. Ren slumped against the headboard.

“I was thinking about before. About how she was calmed so quickly by Zwei from her panic attack. Maybe…” Ren started.

“Maybe we should look into a service dog for her?” Nora added. Ren nodded, smiling a bit.

“We were thinking that, too.” Jaune added. So, in whispers, the three began to hatch out a plan to help their beloved with her anxiety.


	18. Alexis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaune, Ren, Nora and Oscar go in search of an emotional support dog for Pyrrha. They find a perfect addition to their little family.

A few weeks passed and temperatures got warmer and warmer, and the plan to get Pyrrha her own service dog was soon launched into action. After letting her mom in on the plan (which she absolutely _loved_ ), she took Pyrrha out to lunch and some shopping while the other three checked out an animal shelter in Argus. Saphron had adopted a cat from there and it had a very good reputation. Jaune drove, Ren sitting in front with him and Nora and Oscar chattering excitedly in the back.

After having stopped at his sister’s for a quick brunch (and a little playing with Adrian of course), they pulled up to the shelter. New Beginnings was a small brick building surrounded by fences, and some dogs in kennels could be seen being fed by volunteers. Nora got out of the car before Jaune had even turned it off, running towards the fence.

“Oh my gosh look at all the puppies! Let’s get them all.” Nora said, beaming at her boyfriends and her roommate. They laughed.

“We’re coming here to get Pyrrha _one_ dog, Nora.” Jaune said, gently firm as he placed his hand on her hand. She sighed.

Inside the shelter, they spoke to the front desk receptionist, a tiny and rather soft spoken snake faunus with a shaved head and covered in tattoos and piercings. Her name tag said Mamba and she led the four through an inside kennel.

“These dogs here all have special training to be emotional support dogs. We train them on the premises; or rather Chuckie does, but he’s on vacation right now…” the woman rambled. Looking around at all the kennels there were all kinds of dogs, purebred and mutt alike. But as they went down the hallway, a small whimpering caught Ren’s attention. He looked down and to his right.

The first thing he noticed about the dog was that she was small; a little bigger than Zwei was, but her legs were short and stubby like his. And the two front ones were prosthetics; red metal and plastic. They looked a little bit like Pyrrha’s prosthetic, actually, he noted. Her fur was a golden red, her eyes brown and looking right at him. Her tail was wagging excitedly, as if she knew Ren already.

“Oh, I see you’ve found Alexis.” Mamba said, grinning. “She’s a real sweetheart. She had a rough start; her whole litter was lost with her mama, and her legs got such a bad infection they needed to be amputated. But she’s very determined and hard working. Unfortunately she seems to get looked over because of her state.”

Nora and Jaune knelt in front of her kennel. Jaune’s fingers held onto the chain link and Alexis sniffed them curiously. Then the licking began.

“Well, she’s not getting overlooked anymore.” Jaune said, smiling at Mamba.

* * *

“We have a surprise for you!” Nora beamed, later that night after dinner. They had Alexis waiting upstairs in Oscar’s room, where she’d immediately taken residence on his bed and made herself comfortable. He’d taken his dinner up with him, which confused Pyrrha, but he told her that he was working on something. 

“What kind of a surprise?” Pyrrha asked, quirking a brow. Her mom and her had basically been shopping on the other side of Argus all day and she’d been a bit tired, but a nap and some dinner later she was feeling better. 

“You’ll see. Be right back.” Jaune said, running upstairs quickly. Ren and Nora exchanged a smile.

“Okay,” Pyrrha trailed off, not sure what her partners were up to. She’d gotten a few outfits with her mom so surely they didn’t buy her more clothes; sure she had lost all of her belongings after the Fall but she’d gotten replacements for most things.

Jaune and Oscar came down the stairs, and trailing behind them was a small dog with golden red fur and two prosthetics for front legs. Her little tail wagging as she sniffed the two and then looked at her. Pyrrha covered her mouth as she softly gasped. Slowly, carefully sinking from her chair to the floor, the dog darted over to her and sniffed her all around. The dog saw her prosthetic leg and sniffed. She then climbed into Pyrrha’s lap, tail wagging. Tears fell from Pyrrha’s eyes as she wrapped her arms around the dog.

“Pyrrha, this is Alexis. And she’s your emotional support dog.” Jaune said, walking over and sitting on the ground next to them. Nora and Ren wrapped an arm around each other and looked on as Alexis licked Pyrrha’s face as she laughed and cried. Oscar turned away and tried to hide his own sniffling. Ren reached over and pulled him into his and Nora’s hug.

And their family felt just a little more complete.

* * *

Alexis was right there by Pyrrha’s side the next morning as the news came on, a breaking story. Her father, Ares, was to spend the rest of his life in prison. His attempted murder charge became first degree murder when his victim died of their injuries and Pyrrha, while feeling terrible for them and their family, also thanked whatever gods were listening that it hadn’t been her or her mother. But instead of a panic attack, she had Alexis right in her lap, licking her face as tears began to fall. 

And it wasn’t just Alexis comforting her; Jaune had come sit beside her on one side, rubbing her back. On her other side, Nora squeezed her hand as Ren leaned his head on Nora’s. Pyrrha didn’t freeze, didn’t lose control of her breathing. She just cried, cried because this chapter of her life could finally be closed; because her father would never hurt anyone again. Because she had her family here by her side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a bit short I know but it's pretty straightforward and I've been having a bit of writing fatigue. I'm working through it as best as I can, though.


	19. Meeting the Arc's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Arc Family has a family gathering, and Jaune decides it's time to tell his parents about his relationship. It goes much better than he expects it to.

Jaune had somehow forgotten all about the yearly family gathering his family had wanted to begin after the war until a week before it happened. He also conveniently realized he still hadn’t quite explained to his parents that his relationship status had changed. He wanted to just bring them and tell his parents, but there was one thing he was anxious about, and that was his father’s rather traditionalist attitudes about things. He’d told all of his sisters, but as far as his parents had known, he was only dating Pyrrha.

“I mean, I don’t know what he’ll say. Sure, he’s gotten a lot more open-minded about stuff, especially with Saph and Terra, but...there’s just two of them.” Jaune explained as they were all sitting on the patio together.

“We’ll all be there with you, though.” Pyrrha reassured him, rubbing his knee gently.

“And if things go south and he starts anything, we’ll leave.” Ren added.

“We’ll break his legs.” Nora added, pouting slightly.

“No, no. My dad isn’t so much of a bastard that he needs to have his legs broken.” Jaune scolded.

“If he’s making you this worried then I’d disagree.” Nora huffed. Ren gave her a stern look and her pout eased a bit.

“Jaune, we love you. And if your dad, your parents, love you too, they’ll accept this. If not at first then eventually.” Ren soothed, wrapping an arm around Jaune’s shoulders, the other man leaning his head against his in return.

“I know...I don’t want to hide this like I’m ashamed of this or something. I’m just...kinda worried he’s going to say something to one of you. Or say something about  _ this _ to make me feel like I should be ashamed.” Jaune sighed. 

Then Nora shifted into his lap from having been sitting across from him and gave him a soft kiss. Pyrrha kissed one cheek, Ren the other. He felt his face warm considerably.

“We’ll be there either way.” Nora added. Jaune wrapped his arms around his three lovers and pulled them close.

“I love you guys.” He whispered.

* * *

All of them, including Oscar and Alexis, piled into the car together; Jaune and Pyrrha sat in the front and Ren, Nora and Oscar in the back with the dog. Nora ended up sitting in the middle, being the smallest, so Alexis placed herself on her lap. Thankfully she rather enjoyed car rides, her tail wagging happily all the while. But it was a bit cramped in the back, admittedly, with the three adults and one albeit small dog.

“Maybe we should look into a bigger car, like a van or something?” Ren muttered.

“I concur, I’m a bit squished and not in an enjoyable way.” Nora huffed, snug between her boyfriend and their extra teammate.

“We’ll look into it.” Jaune sighed. The drive was nearly an hour and by the time they reached the park where the picnic type gathering was being held, the three in the back all needed to stretch. Alexis seemed to be fine, shaking after coming out of the car and sitting by Pyrrha’s feet.

“Doggy!” a small voice called out. Jaune and Pyrrha turned to see a young boy run towards them, dragging along a familiar blonde woman.

“Hey Saph! Hey Adrian!” Jaune greeted, hugging his sister before kneeling over and hugging his nephew. Alexis’ tail wagged, and she gently sniffed at the young child.

“You can pet him if you’d like.” Pyrrha said softly. The young boy looked up at her; Pyrrha knew about Adrian, Jaune’s little nephew, but this was the first time she actually  _ met _ him.

“You must be Pyrrha.” Saphron introduced herself, offering a hand.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Saphron.” Pyrrha returned, shaking the other woman’s hand. Adrian gently pet Alexis’ head, the dog panting.

“Is that lil Adrian? Omigosh c’mere you!” Nora cooed, waltzing over and picking up the small child, who hugged her.

“Hi Nora.” the small child greeted, also greeting Ren and Oscar as they walked over.

“Where’s Terra?” Jaune asked his sister.

“Oh she’s sitting inside with mom.” Saphron said. Looking between the group, she patted her brother’s shoulder.

“You can tell I’m nervous, huh?” Jaune spoke. Pyrrha looked down at Alexis for a moment, Nora and Ren exchanged a glance.

“I can tell you’re  _ all  _ nervous.” Saphron explained, wrapping an arm around her younger brother’s shoulders. “I think you’re gonna be okay, though. Dad isn’t as stuck in his ways as he used to be. Me and Terra softened him up for you.”

“Sure hope so. I’d hate to get into an argument in front of everyone.” Jaune muttered. He recalled the argument before he left for Beacon. And a few arguments before that. Gods, he hoped this was going to work out.

* * *

Isabelle and Phil Arc were at the main picnic table, sitting with Terra (who was now very visibly pregnant, much to the delight of Isabelle) and two of Jaune’s younger sisters, who were looking at things on their scrolls. At their approach, Jaune took Pyrrha’s hand in one of his. Then, he took Ren’s in another. And Nora grabbed Ren’s free hand (as Pyrrha was holding onto Alexis’ leash). The parents looked up at the group. Both of their eyebrows flew up.

“Hey, mom and dad. This is my girlfriend, Pyrrha. And my boyfriend, Ren. And our other girlfriend, Nora.” Jaune introduced.

“Hello.” Pyrrha greeted.

Ren just bowed his head, his face reddening a bit.

“Hiya!” Nora cheered. The two parents looked at each other. But before Phil could say anything, Isabelle perked up.

“Think of all the grandchildren, Phillip!” the matriarch cheered. And the four lovers all blushed, laughed, or both. Oscar came up behind his teammates and waved.

“Hi, I’m their other teammate but I’m not dating them, I’m...I’m Oscar.” the youngest team member spoke softly. Isabelle waved him over.

“Look, it’s like they already have one.” she joked, Oscar blushing.

“I-I’m only four years younger than them!” he cried, and everyone started laughing. Phil then stood slowly. Jaune swallowed, tensing up. But then, the patriarch smiled.

“Walk with me a moment, Jaune.” Phil said.

* * *

“I know I’ve been hard on you in the past.” Phil explained, the two walking along the sidewalk by the playground, various children playing on swing sets and slides and jungle gyms.

“I...know you were only trying to protect me, dad.” Jaune offered. He didn’t want this to become an argument, the last thing either of them needed now was another one of their arguments, regardless of how many years it had been since the last one.

“I was holding you back. I didn’t realize how strong you were. You  _ are _ . You’ve grown into a fine young man and I’m very proud of you.” Phil said, his blue eyes looking fondly into his son’s. Jaune couldn’t help but tear up a bit.

“It wasn’t honest, not always.” Jaune choked. “But I wanted to be a huntsman. I wanted to help people. Well, that’s the reason I ended up with once I stopped changing my mind about it.”

“I know. But I am proud of you. And you deserve to have happiness, for all you did and helped do. And if that happiness is with three people, who am I to tell you otherwise?” His father said, patting his back. Jaune wiped his eyes with his sleeves. They hugged.

* * *

As Jaune and his father walked back to their picnic table, his sisters were all gathered around his three lovers. Oscar was off to the side with Alexis, who was sniffing at a tree. They seemed to be asking them all sorts of questions, judging by how red in the face all three of them were, but when they turned to Jaune, they all smiled. Ren smiled shyly, then covered his reddening face with his hand. Nora beamed at him, waving him over. Pyrrha grinned, giggling infectiously, judging by how his mom and Saphron both laughed with her.

As he joined them, Alexis sniffed at Phil’s hand and licked it, the older Arc patting the dog’s head softly. Oscar sat by Ren and Nora and was immediately teased by some of Jaune’s younger sisters, making him blush. Adrian tapped Pyrrha on the shoulder and she leaned down, letting the small boy whisper something into his ear. 

Jaune smiled. His family was all together, and he couldn’t be happier. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're still reading at this point, thank you! This is to be the last full chapter of the story, with the last chapter being a proper epilogue. Don't worry, there's still more berry content to come from me! I have plans, let's just say.
> 
> Again, thank you so much for reading! -Kat


	20. Epilogue (One More Dance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end of this chapter in the JNPR Berries love saga! Thank you for reading. <3

A few months had gone by.

The Xiao Long-Schnee-Belladonna wedding was a relatively small private affair, as the three women only wanted close friends and family (that weren’t currently in prison of course) to attend. The three brides said their vows in Patch by a sea cliff, the sun setting now on the reception by the Xiao Long home. A tent had been set up with some tables, a temporary dance floor and a stereo system, Taiyang acting as DJ to his daughter and her now wives. After the three wives shared their first dance the dance floor was opened up to everyone.

Nora Valkyrie was the first one there, dragging Lie Ren with one hand, Pyrrha Nikos in the other, with the other woman dragging Jaune Arc with her. Everyone there knew the four of them were also in a polyamourous relationship, so there was no need to be shy about it and dance with just one partner at a time. The four of them all giggled as they began to dance together to the soft pop playing on the stereo.

Pyrrha had elected to finally let her hair grow back out again and it had grown to her chin now, and her red dress with gold accents fitted to her with long sleeves and a plunging neckline, the skirt stopping just above her knees; she wasn’t hiding her scars or prosthetics. Nora’s hair had grown out a bit more too, and she’d been thinking of cutting it but hadn’t gotten around to it before the wedding, so it was in a braided updo that had taken Ren nearly an hour to do. Her own dress was pink, sleeveless and with a skirt that was shorter in the front than in the back, and she’d worn heels higher than she was used to (she would complain and get foot rubs later of course). Ren and Jaune wore suits of their respective colors, Ren’s a black suit with a green button up and pink tie with a lotus print, and Jaune’s a white suit, white shirt and a yellow tie with a rainbow printed on it.

Their dance now wasn’t the synchronized choreography of their Beacon dance, but they were in sync as ever, their movements in time with each other, with twirls and even Nora dipping Ren at one point. At the end of their dance, the four of them embraced. Then an elbow gently nudged Jaune.

“Hey, stop stealing the spotlight at  _ our _ wedding.” Weiss joked, winking at the four of them, her wives giggling behind him. They all wore white dress suits, Weiss’ hair had been cropped short and both Blake and Yang’s were in updos, and each had an accessory of their respective color as well.

“Why don’t you dance with us?” Nora beamed, taking Weiss by the hand. At some point Pyrrha had gone to the side and grabbed Oscar (in his orange and green suit, no tie) and Ruby (who was the only member of her team in a dress, similar to the one she wore at the Beacon dance but noticeably not wearing heels this time, and with a brag of  _ it has pockets this time! _ ) and the nine friends who had just over a year ago saved the world all danced together. Even Zwei and Alexis both joined the dance, scampering around the group and stopping to occasionally sniff at each other and play.

“Maybe we’ll have a little doggy wedding?” Yang said, half-jokingly.

“Don’t even get me started, you think I went mad planning  _ our _ wedding?” Weiss giggled, “If I have to plan a dog wedding I’m going all out, I swear.”

“That would be sooooo cute though!” Pyrrha cooed.

The evening went on uneventfully with much merriment and dancing and eating and laughter, as any good wedding reception should. But as things wound down, the four lovers of Team JNPR retired for the evening. They waved goodnight to Oscar, who was hanging out with Ruby and Penny, and walked upstairs to the guest room. No, the bed wasn’t quite as big as their own bed at home, but it would be too long a trip back at this hour (and Jaune was in no shape to drive, being a bit tipsy). They made due, however, like the first few sleeps they were all together. They had to help Jaune change into his pajamas but once they’d all gotten changed they lay in their usual formation; Jaune in the middle, already passed out, Nora and Ren on one side of him and Pyrrha on the other. Goodnight kisses and love-yous were exchanged.

And the four of them, all together (together), drifted to sleep in each other’s arms, never having felt safer than they had with each other.


End file.
